RT-qPCR: The Gold Standard for Targeted qPCR Expression Analysis in the Clinical Space

Advanced Use of Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and RT-qPCR

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR) are utilized for targeted quantification of 

  • DNA or mRNA 
  • microRNA 
  • and lncRNA. 

It is well known that qPCR-based approaches for gene expression studies have excellent sensitivity, specificity, linear dynamic range of quantification, as well as a high level of flexibility. 

Leading qPCR Solutions from CellCarta

In our laboratories, we have processed tens of thousands of clinical samples. 

That includes various types of liquid biopsies and FFPE material using qPCR to quantify both protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and non-coding microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). 

Our team has proficiencies with the following key platforms: 

  • cobas (Roche) 
  • Rotor-Gene Q (Qiagen) 
  • Idylla (Biocartis) 
  • QuantStudio (ThermoFisher)

Our team at CellCarta can support any qPCR-based application, using either off-the-shelf (OTS) qPCR assay or expertly designed and validated custom primers, validated to the appropriate level in support of discovery, exploratory, through to patient management applications. 

Key OTS qPCR assays available at CellCarta include: 

  • AmoyDx Pan Lung Cancer Panel  
  • Biofidelity Aspyre(r) – Lung assay 
  • Cobas Mutation test for: PIK3CA, BRAF V600, KRAS, EGFR, BRAF/NRAS 
  • Qiagen Therascreen kits for: EGFR, PIK3CA, KRAS, FGFR  

Download our brochure for more details on the genomic assays available at CellCarta.

Key applications of Quantitative PCR (qPCR)

Various Quantitative PCR (qPCR) projects performed both in research and clinical trial settings: 

  • Quantification of microRNA expression in FFPE and liquid biopsies (including whole blood samples) Measuring multi-gene signatures in whole blood and FFPE samples 
  • Quantification of gene expression in cell lysates, including a gene-specific PCR based pre-amplification step 
  • SNP genotyping 
  • Customized qPCR-based applications such as detection of RCR/RCL in PBMCs 

CellCarta’s Center of Excellence for development of complex genomic biomarker assays

Our team is internationally recognized for its qPCR expertise, setting standards in gene expression analysis with landmark papers and contribution to guidelines:

  • A comprehensive assessment of RNA-seq accuracy, reproducibility and information content by the Sequencing Quality Control Consortium (SEQC/MAQC-III Consortium, Nature Biotechnology, 2014)
  • The MIQE guidelines: minimum information for publication of quantitative real-time PCR experiments (Bustin SA et al., Clinical Chemistry, 2009)
  • Accurate normalization of real-time quantitative RT-PCR data by geometric averaging of multiple internal control genes (Vandesompele J et al., Genome Biology, 2002)

Related Services to Quantitative PCR (qPCR)

CellCarta offers a vast selection of Quantitative PCR assays and services. We offer many of most popular assays for patient selection widely accepted assays for druggable targets.   

We support the development of and orthogonal assays and kits destined for the clinical market.   

Digital PCR