Klin Onkol 2008; 21(Suppl 1): 227-229.
Real-time PCR is a method used to monitor the amplifi cation of polymerase chain reaction products in real time. It is able to detect minimal amounts of nucleic acid with high specifi city and sensitivity. This technique is used both for diagnostic and research applications. Diagnostic real-time PCR enables the detection of genes involved in infectious diseases, cancer and genetic abnormalities. In the research setting, real-time PCR is used to provide highly sensitive quantitative measurements of gene transcription. The technique may be used to determine the genetic expression of a particular gene and its changes over time, e.g. in the analysis of cellular response to a therapeutic agent or to changes in the microenvironment, or to assess the progression of cell differentiation.
