Gen-Probe, Inc.

Elizabeth R Billyard

Thomas B Ryder

Daniel L Kacian

Sherrol Hoffa McDonough

Richard C Harvey

Nancy Lau Shen

Maria R Castillo

Karen W Shannon

Frank R Gonzales

Nanibhushan Dattagupta

A method for amplification of a nucleic acid strand in a test sample. The method includes contacting the nucleic acid strand from the test sample simultaneously with at least three oligonucleotide primers. At least one primer is a promoter-primer, and at least one other primer is complementary to the nucleic acid strand, and one other primer is complementary to a strand complementary to the nucleic acid strand. The method further includes contacting the nucleic acid strand and primers with one or more proteins having RNA-directed and/or DNA-directed DNA polymerase activities, an RNA polymerase activity, and an RNAse H activity under primer-extension conditions to allow amplification of a target region in the nucleic acid strand at essentially constant temperature.

Methods of enhancing nucleic acid amplification

Methods and kits for relating initial amounts of target nucleic acids present in a sample to target-specific amplification products. It has been discovered that the transcription-mediated amplification system is capable of producing a quantitative relationship between target input and target-specific output. Further, the present invention relates to methods for carefully controlling this relationship resulting in an unexpectedly high degree of reproducability. Also described are useful methods for extending the dynamic range of transcription-based amplification systems.

Methods for determining pre-amplification levels of a nucleic acid

Methods and kits for relating initial amounts of target nucleic acids present in a sample to target-specific amplification products. It has been discovered that the transcription-mediated amplification system is capable of producing a quantitative relationship between target input and target-specific output. Further, the the present invention relates to methods for carefully controlling this relationship resulting in an unexpectedly high degree of reproducability. Also described are useful methods for extending the dynamic range of transcription-based amplification systems.

Kits for determining pre-amplification levels of a nucleic acid target

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Elizabeth R Billyard