qPCR, dPCR, NGS – A journey

qPCR, dPCR, NGS – A journey
Jim F. Huggett, Justin O’Grady, Stephen Bustin
Biomolecular Detection and Quantification, available online 15 January 2015

Scientific conferences fulfill many roles, but one of the most important ones is that they help shape the direction in which a scientific discipline grows by promoting person-to-person exchanges of information, ideas and constructive criticisms between scientists from different backgrounds. This interaction also helps to identify areas of controversy and promotes efforts to address and, it is hoped, resolve them. This year is the 30th anniversary of the publication of the first practical description of the polymerase chain reaction [1], arguably one of the simplest and the most widely used molecular technology. It also sees the 7th instalment of the Freising PCR meetings http://www.qPCR-NGS-2015.net, which are the longest established, continuous and most influential conferences in this field and have provided a looking glass for conceptual and technical innovation as well as practical applications of PCR-associated methods.