In 1971, a paper was published in the Journal of Molecular Biology that first described the process of using heat-resistant enzymes together with primers to replicate a short DNA sequence in vitro. The actual invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) came over a decade later, in 1983. PCR was a revolutionary biochemical technique that allowed scientists to replicate and amplify nucleic acid sequences in millions to billions of copies.

Sequencing, cloning, and analysis were no longer limited by tiny amounts of samples available for testing.

Several different PCR forms were developed through further refinement of this process, including the digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR). Unlike other PCR variants, dPCR allows for absolute quantitation of the target DNA sample, opening new doors for scientific research and discovery.