My Latest PCR

[Guest guest]

Hi:

Just thought I'd report that I just got my latest PCR results back

from MDACC. When I found out that the results just were for a qRT

PCR with a sensitivity of 100,000 cells, I was taken aback because

they had always done nested if the quantitative PCR was negative.

So I quickly e-mailed Dr. Koller to ask if nested had been done and

asked if possibly the nested wasn't completed yet. Here is the

answer I got back:

" The lab has found that with improvements in realtime PCR that the

nested PCR will not add sensitivity unless there is a problem with

amplifying abl, which in your case there was not. Also, there was

no discrepancy with the genescan. They will stick by their results

with a sensitivity of 1:100000.

Your reward for such an excellent test: stay on your Gleevec. "

Of course, I am very happy with these results--who wouldn't be.

But I still I could use some explanation of exactly what " amplification "

means in this case as I always thought that the amplification

happens with the nested PCR, also what " genescan " stands for.

Anyone up to this explanation?

Margot