Bio-Rad QXDx Droplet Digital PCR: Can A Droplet Change A Patient's Cancer Treatment?

As personalized treatments for cancer become more widespread, so do questions for which targeted therapy is most effective and when that therapy needs to be changed. Through the use of liquid biopsy with Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR), clinical laboratories can now support clinicians in determining the most effective treatment based on a patient’s oncogenomic profile.

Liquid biopsy, also known as plasma genotyping, is a non-invasive method used for detecting cancer cells or DNA in a patient’s blood. Droplet Digital PCR detects low abundance mutations in complex backgrounds by partitioning a sample into thousands of separate DNA or RNA molecules within nanoliter-sized droplets. Each droplet can then be directly detected and quantified with extreme sensitivity and precision.

Combining liquid biopsy with the power of Droplet Digital PCR can provide clinicians with an efficient and economical method to diagnose, monitor and treat cancer and other conditions.

Droplet Digital PCR provides highly sensitive absolute quantification of DNA or RNA in serum, plasma, tissue or urine samples along with increased precision and reproducibility, without the need for standard curves. ddPCR sample partitioning with statistical analysis of sample targets minimizes variability from common sources of error that can influence quantitative PCR results, including standard curves that cause cross sample variation and PCR inhibitors that alter assay efficiency. The Bio-Rad QXDx Droplet Digital PCR System utilizes a simple, user-friendly and scalable workflow to meet your throughput and sensitivity needs. Select an automated or manual system and leverage Bio-Rad’s on-market assays or develop and validate your own assays.