ABSTRACT
There are multiple issues with setting up new diagnostic testing capacity outside ofregular diagnostic laboratories. This is not an overnight solution. Research laboratories havedifferent approaches, equipment and staff. There are multiple steps to ensure that themethods used and results are a correctly validated, as there is nothing more dangerous at themoment than reporting incorrect negative or positive results to staff or patients. That beingsaid we can adapt and validate assays and make them work using our equipment that can thenbe rolled out to support the NHS. PCR is a method widely used to rapidly make millions tobillions of copies of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample ofDNA and amplify it to a large enough amount to study in detail. It is fundamental too much ofgenetic testing including analysis of ancient samples of DNA and identification of infectiousagents. Using PCR, copies of very small amounts of DNA sequences are exponentially amplifiedin a series of cycles of temperature changes. PCR is now a common and often indispensabletechnique used in medical laboratory and clinical laboratory research for a broad variety ofapplications including biomedical research and criminal forensics.