qPCR at 30: Advancing Science Together, from Insight to Impact

Thirty years ago, a simple but groundbreaking question changed molecular biology: What if DNA amplification could be measured in real time?

The answer became quantitative PCR (qPCR), a technology that allows scientists to monitor DNA amplification as it occurs – enabling precise quantification of genetic material during the PCR process itself. In 1996, Applied Biosystems™–which later became part of Thermo Fisher Scientific through its 2014 acquisition of Life Technologies–brought this innovation to laboratories worldwide with the launch of the ABI PRISM® 7700 Sequence Detection System, the first commercial real-time PCR instrument.

Established by a founding group of scientists – including Dr. Lincoln McBride and Dr. Junko Stevens – the development team transformed PCR from a purely qualitative, binary “yes-or-no” method into a robust, highly precise quantitative technology capable of accurately measuring nucleic acid levels. This advancement laid the groundwork for today’s research applications in gene expression analysis, molecular testing, pathogen detection, and translational research.

To mark three decades of innovation in quantitative PCR, we connected with Dr. McBride and Dr. Stevens to reflect on the challenges of building the first qPCR system and to explore how real-time PCR continues to drive scientific discovery today.

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What’s your favorite memory from being part of the core team that built the first widely used commercial real-time PCR system – the ABI 7700?

McBride: There were several, but I’ll share two. In late 1992, while jet-lagged in Tokyo, evangelizing the synergy between Applied Biosystems’ (ABI) DNA fluorescence and a prominent PCR company’s technology, ABI’s VP of R&D told me during breakfast that we would be merging with the aforementioned PCR company. I was ecstatic. We would finally have the freedom to develop the project I founded in 1991 – the “analytical thermal cycler.”

Fast forward to February 1994. I’d been leading the growing merger program to develop and commercialize real-time PCR. We were fully committed financially, professionally, and personally to making both the technology and the merger succeed. For months that felt like decades, we failed to produce satisfactory quantitative data on our pivotal four-sample optical multiplexer “breadboard”.

A colleague suggested that our breadboard might be detecting formulation errors in the DNA standards. The following week, our team’s software and algorithms leader approached me, smiling, holding data from the first run using newly formulated standards. He and I giggled with triumphant relief. We’d been detecting errors in our standards. In that moment, we realized real-time PCR was more powerful than we ever imagined.

Stevens: I joined Applied Biosystems in 1991 and moved to Lincoln McBride’s SDS (Sequence Detection Systems) group in 1995. Our entire project team sat close together, which made it easy to collaborate. As a young chemist, I really benefited from sitting next to people with completely different skill sets – it was fascinating to see how mechanical engineers and algorithm developers approached problems. Lincoln made sure we built a strong interdisciplinary team culture.

We launched the very first 7700 in 1996, and we all carried pagers so that if the 7700 misbehaved, we could drive up to the lab right away. We spent long hours with the lab that owned the system, working side by side with their team. Over time, they felt like an extension of our own group, almost like family, and they treated us as trusted partners. It’s still one of my favorite memories.

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What were the biggest technical hurdles in designing that first qPCR instrument, and how did the team work through them?

Stevens: For several months leading to the full product launch, we kept running into stubborn qPCR dropouts – random wells in a 96-well plate with no detectable fluorescence signal (though amplification was probably happening, just not for the targets we wanted). We spent hours in the engineering prototype lab chasing every possible variable, trying to track down what was going on. The breakthrough ended up being the Taq polymerase.

McBride: I prefer to think of the 7700 as a system rather than simply an instrument. Beyond solving the eleventh-hour “dropouts” mystery mentioned by Dr. Stevens, a stressful and drawn-out challenge was designing the optimal fluorescent probe-primer motif and manufacturing thousands of them. This required multiple efforts, including the first synthesis of a TaqMan™ oligonucleotide probe, followed by the discovery that TaqMan probes work best when the fluorescent reporter and quencher are on opposite ends of the probe, and finally the mass production of primer-probe sets.

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Looking across the instruments you’ve helped develop over the years, which one is your favorite, and what makes it stand out?

McBride: Is that a trick question? The ABI 7700.

Stevens: The ABI Prism 7700! It was a breakthrough qPCR system that enabled real-time monitoring of PCR amplification, making precise nucleic acid quantitation possible.

Its launch almost coincided with the birth of my daughter, so it was an especially memorable time for me. ABI Prism 7700 was the SDS team’s baby – an adorable 350-pound one that demanded just as much attention.

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If you could add one new capability to the next generation of qPCR instruments, what would it be and how would it change today’s workflows?

Stevens: I’d add a simple nucleic acid extraction module ahead of the qPCR step. Right now, the workflow requires separate sample purification before running qPCR. If we could combine nucleic acid extraction and qPCR into a single, streamlined process, it would simplify the workflow and make sample tracking easier.

McBride: I’ve been retired for decades, so I’m not fully up to speed. But during the pandemic, I was frustrated that it often took days – not hours – to receive real-time PCR results. The limitation wasn’t chemistry. There must be faster ways to move samples to instruments. It’s not rocket science, and there’s an opportunity there.

For applications where routine and continuous sample collection may be necessary but inconvenient, such as public water supply or wastewater monitoring, I assume on-site, continuous testing systems are in the works.

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With everything you know now, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?

McBride: That’s a tough one. The “butterfly effect” concept suggests that small changes might have diverted me from a path that led to results beyond my dreams. I’d advise young readers to always watch for fleeting opportunities, surround themselves with talented, well-intentioned people, and be comforted that humanity will remain the essential ingredient in developing revolutionary first-generation systems like real-time PCR.

Stevens: Trust your instincts. When you’re early in your career, you have more freedom to take risks and make bold – even slightly crazy – moves. Don’t be afraid to take those chances. It’s better to try and learn than to look back later and wonder, what if?

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Thank you for 30 years of shared progress

The next chapter of qPCR will be shaped by the same principles that defined its first 30 years: innovation rooted in scientific need and strengthened through collaboration. Continued progress in automation, data connectivity, assay design, and sustainability will further expand what qPCR can help deliver, helping scientists address increasingly complex questions with confidence.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, advancing qPCR has always been about enabling better science. By working closely with our customers, we remain committed to supporting discoveries that drive progress – today and in the years to come.

This milestone is a celebration of the scientific community that helped make qPCR what it is today. To the researchers who trusted the technology early, to the laboratories that pushed their boundaries, and to the customers whose insights continue to shape their future, thank you.

Together, we’ve spent 30 years advancing qPCR. And together, we’re ready for what’s next.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Diagnostics, Inc., used under permission and license.