PCR PCR Applications & Clinical Diagnostics

Question 1

Which PCR application is most commonly used in US clinical laboratories to detect SARS-CoV-2?

Accepted Answer

RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR)

Answer

RT-PCR is used to detect SARS-CoV-2 because the virus has an RNA genome that must first be reverse-transcribed into cDNA before amplification.

Question 2

In oncology diagnostics, which PCR-based method is used to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) in leukemia patients?

Accepted Answer

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)

Answer

qPCR is used for MRD detection because it can quantify extremely low levels of residual leukemic cells with high sensitivity.

Question 3

Which PCR technique is used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with drug metabolism in pharmacogenomics?

Accepted Answer

Allele-specific PCR

Answer

Allele-specific PCR uses primers designed to amplify only one allele, making it ideal for distinguishing SNP variants relevant to pharmacogenomics.

Question 4

In forensic DNA analysis in the US, which PCR-based technique is used to generate a DNA profile for identity comparison?

Accepted Answer

STR (Short Tandem Repeat) PCR analysis

Answer

STR PCR analysis amplifies multiple short tandem repeat loci simultaneously to generate a DNA profile used by CODIS for identity matching.

Question 5

Which PCR application is used to diagnose genetic disorders prenatally by analyzing cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood?

Accepted Answer

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using qPCR

Answer

NIPT uses qPCR or next-generation sequencing on cell-free fetal DNA circulating in maternal plasma to detect chromosomal abnormalities.

PCR - Polymerase Chain Reaction Certification Practice Test