Theoretical design and analysis of multivolume digital assays with wide dynamic range validated experimentally with microfluidic digital PCR.

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a protocol using theoretical methods and free software to design and analyze multivolume digital PCR (MV digital PCR) devices; the theory and software are also applicable to design and analysis of dilution series in digital PCR. MV digital PCR minimizes the total number of wells required for "digital" (single molecule) measurements while maintaining high dynamic range and high resolution. In some examples, multivolume designs with fewer than 200 total wells are predicted to provide dynamic range with 5-fold resolution similar to that of single-volume designs requiring 12,000 wells. Mathematical techniques were utilized and expanded to maximize the information obtained from each experiment and to quantify performance of devices and were experimentally validated using the

SUBMITTER: Kreutz JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3216679 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature