The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was originally developed in 1983 by the American biochemist Kary Mullis.
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PCR is used in molecular biology to make many copies of (amplify) small sections of DNA.
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Using PCR it is possible to generate thousands to millions of copies of a particular section of DNA from a very small amount of DNA.
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PCR is a common tool used in medical and biological research labs. It is used in the early stages of processing DNA for sequencing for detecting the presence or absence of a gene to help identify pathogens during infection, and when generating forensic DNA profiles from tiny samples of DNA.