abstract |
A method for performing PCR on a liquid sample comprising a plurality of polynucleotide targets, wherein each polynucleotide target is present at very low concentration within the sample. The method comprises applying PCR reactants to the surface of a substrate to produce a plurality of reaction spots on the surface of the substrate; loading the liquid sample and a PCR reagent mixture onto the reaction spots; forming a sealed reaction chamber, having a volume of less than about 20 nanoliters, over each of the reaction spots; and amplifying the sample. |