METHOD FOR COMPREHENSIVE, QUANTITATIVE, AND HIGHLY SENSITIVE DISCRIMINATION OF NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCES IN HOMOGENEOUS AND HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS

摘要

A method for the detection of nucleic acids in heterogeneous samples is provided. Very small quantities of nucleic acids can be identified in a sample through the use of digital High Resolution Melt Analysis (dHRMA). In one step of the method, melt curves for specific target sequences are identified. In a second step, primers for the amplification of target sequences are utilized in optimized digital PCR for detection of the target sequences. In a subsequent step, the melt curves of the sequences present in the sample are obtained. In the final step, the melt curves obtained from the sample are compared to the standard melt curves for the target sequences.