Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) is a method for performing digital PCR that is based on water-oil emulsion droplet technology. A sample is fractionated into 20,000 droplets, and PCR amplification of the template molecules occurs in each individual droplet. ddPCR technology uses reagents and workflows similar to those used for most standard TaqMan probe-based assays. The massive sample partitioning is a key aspect of the ddPCR technique.

This section provides an overview of droplet digital PCR technology, how ddPCR works, and what the advantages and benefits of ddPCR are.

Related topics: Planning Droplet Digital PCR Experiments, Absolute Quantification of PCR Targets with the Droplet Digital™ PCR System

What is Droplet Digital PCR?

Droplet Digital PCR technology is a digital PCR method utilizing a water-oil emulsion droplet system. Droplets are formed in a water-oil emulsion to form the partitions that separate the template DNA molecules. The droplets serve essentially the same function as individual test tubes or wells in a plate in which the PCR reaction takes place, albeit in a much smaller format. The massive sample partitioning is a key aspect of the ddPCR technique.

The Droplet Digital PCR System partitions nucleic acid samples into thousands of nanoliter-sized droplets, and PCR amplification is carried out within each droplet. This technique has a smaller sample requirement than other commercially available digital PCR systems, reducing cost and preserving precious samples.