High-Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis of DNA methylation using semiconductor chip-based digital PCR.

Background: Digital PCR (dPCR) technology allows absolute quantification and detection of disease-associated rare variants, and thus the use of dPCR technology has been increasing in clinical research and diagnostics. The high-resolution melting curve analysis (HRM) of qPCR is widely used to distinguish true positives from false positives and detect rare variants. In particular, qPCR-HRM is commonly used for methylation assessment in research and diagnostics due to its simplicity and high reproducibility.

Identification and characterization of recent retrovirus in bats.

An investigation into retrovirus was conducted in six species of bats (, , , , , and ) inhabiting South Korea. Exogenous retroviruses (XRVs) were detected in the tissue samples of individuals by PCR assay. Proviruses were identified in all tissue samples through viral quantification using a digital PCR assay per organ (lung, intestine, heart, brain, wing, kidney, and liver), with viral loads varying greatly between each organ.

Analytical Performance Evaluation of a Digital Real-Time PCR for Quantifying Major BCR::ABL1 Transcripts.

Background: Accurate quantification of the BCR::ABL1 transcripts is essential for measurable residual disease (MRD) monitoring in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. This study evaluated the newly developed digital real-time PCR method, Dr. PCR, as an alternative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) for MRD detection.