<unk> <unk>  <unk>  is a laboratory technique combining<unk><unk>  of RNA into DNA (in this context called complementary DNA or cDNA) and amplification of specific DNA targets using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It is primarily used to measure the amount of a specific RNA. This is achieved by monitoring the amplification reaction using fluorescence, a technique called real-time PCR or quantitative PCR (qPCR). Combined<unk>  and qPCR are routinely used for analysis of gene expression and quantification of viral RNA in research and clinical settings. The close association between<unk>  and qPCR has led to metonymic use of the term qPCR to mean<unk> . Such use may be confusing, as<unk>  can be used without qPCR, for example to enable molecular cloning, sequencing or simple detection of RNA. Conversely, qPCR may be used without<unk> , for example to quantify the copy number of a specific piece of DNA.
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction
Reverse complement polymerase chain reaction
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique
Whole genome sequencing
Virtual colony count
YES and YAS assay