Extreme Molecular Diagnostics

Course overview

Presented by: Carl T. Wittwer, MD, PhD. Short description: Extreme molecular diagnostics takes only seconds. With very short turn-around times, pre-analytical and post-analytical challenges are minimized, point-of-care testing makes sense, and high-throughput is not necessary. Extreme PCR in less than 15 seconds, high speed melting analysis in 4 seconds, and rapid sample preparation enable sample-to-answer diagnostics in less than 1 minute. Learning objectives: 1. Describe necessary conditions to increase the speed of PCR. 2. Discuss simplicity over complexity in developing molecular techniques. 3. Recognize that faster PCR and faster melting can result in better PCR and better melting.