Capillary electrophoresis as a tool for optimization of multiplex PCR reactions

Copying multiple regions of a DNA molecule is routinely performed today usi ng the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a process commonly referred to as multiplex PCR. The development of a multiplex PCR reaction involves design ing primer sets and examining various combinations of those primer sets and different reaction components and/or thermal cycling conditions, The proce ss of optimizing a multiplex PCR reaction in order to obtain a well-balance d set of amplicons can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. The rapid sep aration and quantitation capabilities of capillary electrophoresis make it an efficient technique to help in the multiplex PCR optimization process.