Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Benjamin Shames

Chao Lin

Yi Zhou

Ann Dak-Yee Kwong

Tara Lynn Kieffer

James Daniel Frantz

Douglas John Bartels

Judith A Lippke

Eileen Z Zhang

James C Sullivan

Sheila Seepersaud

A method of amplifying an HCV nucleic acid in an HCV infected sample comprises amplifying a segment of a DNA template that is complementary to a genome of HCV RNA from the sample by a two-stage PCR, wherein a first stage PCR employs a first outer primer and a second outer primer, and a second stage PCR employs a first inner primer and a second inner primer. The nucleotide sequence of the first outer primer comprises a nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2; or SEQ ID NO:9, wherein optionally 1, 2 or 3 nucleotides are other nucleotides than those of SEQ ID NO: 9. The nucleotide sequence of the second outer primer comprises a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3 or 4; or a nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 or 11, wherein optionally 1, 2 or 3 nucleotides are other nucleotides than those of SEQ ID NO: 10 and 11. The nucleotide sequence of the first inner primer comprises a nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5; or SEQ ID NO:12, wherein optionally 1, 2 or 3 nucleotides are other nucleotides than those of SEQ ID NO: 12. The nucleotide sequence of the second inner primer comprises a nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6 or 7; or a nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 13 or 14, wherein optionally 1, 2 or 3 nucleotides are other nucleotides than those of SEQ ID NO: 13 and 14.

Methods for amplifying hepatitis C virus nucleic acids

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Arlington, MA, United States of America

Benjamin Shames