Digital PCR for Solid Tumors

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Solid tumor research focuses on understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms driving tumor development, progression, and response to treatment. Digital PCR (dPCR) can greatly enhance solid tumor research by providing precise and sensitive quantification of DNA and RNA mutations, amplifications, and deletions. dPCR excels at providing highly precise quantification, even at low concentrations, and can often detect small differences more reliably than other techniques, which is essential for accurate variant allele frequency and CNV determination. Because it relies on endpoint detection, dPCR results are not impacted by variations in PCR efficiency, and dPCR is generally more robust and reliable for working with challenging samples that contain PCR inhibitors or low-abundance targets.

Frequently asked questions

How does dPCR compare to other methods for solid tumor research, such as qPCR, NGS, or microarray?

dPCR can provide absolute quantification of somatic mutations and tumor gene expression without a standard curve. The high accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of dPCR enables reliable quantification of low-abundance targets and detection of small changes in target abundance, which are essential for precise and accurate quantification of CNV and variant allele frequencies.

What are the advantages of using dPCR for solid tumor research?

dPCR complements qPCR in quantification of somatic mutations and tumor gene expression. Whereas the wide dynamic range and throughput of qPCR is ideal for routine analysis, dPCR excels at quantifying low-abundance targets and small changes. These qualities enable identification of robust miRNA and gene signatures, detection of minor subpopulations in a heterogenous tumor, and precise and accurate calculation of CNV and variant allele frequencies. Furthermore, dPCR is more tolerant of assays with varying efficiencies and inter-assay competition, which provides greater flexibility for multiplexing.

What are the advantages of using dPCR with limited or challenging samples?

Because the reaction is compartmentalized, dPCR is more tolerant of PCR inhibitors than qPCR. Nucleic acid extraction techniques vary in their ability to remove common PCR inhibitors that are often present in biological samples. Some inhibitors co-purify with nucleic acids and can be difficult or impossible to remove completely. Whether your sample contains inhibitors or is limited, the high sensitivity and high precision of dPCR can enable more robust quantification of somatic mutations and tumor gene expression than other molecular techniques.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.