Inventors:
Carl T. Wittwer - Salt Lake City UT
Martin Gutekunst - Eberfind, DE
Sabine Lohmann - Iffeldorf, DE
Assignee:
Roche Diagnostics GmbH
University of Utah Research Foundation - Salt Lake City UT
International Classification:
C12Q 168
US Classification:
435 6, 435 912, 435 39, 536 243, 536 2532
Abstract:
Methods are provided for quantifying the concentration of a nucleic acid in a nucleic acid sample. The methods include contacting the nucleic acid sample with an amplifying agent, amplifying at least one predetermined locus of the nucleic acid by subjecting the sample to a number of amplification, generating an amplification curve or array, calculating the first, second or n th order derivative of the amplification curve or array, determining a maximum, minimum, or zero value of the derivative, and using the maximum, minimum, or zero value to calculate the initial concentration of the nucleic acid in the nucleic acid sample.