Patent ID: 8831887
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: B01L,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining the number of target nucleic acid molecules in a sample, comprising: a) providing a sample containing a plurality of target nucleic acid molecules, the total number of target nucleic acid molecules being unknown; b) diluting said sample to create a plurality of diluted samples; c) applying said diluted samples to a multiple vessel array comprising a plurality of reaction vessels, wherein each of said reaction vessels receives an essentially equal sub-volume of one of said diluted samples, wherein the combined volumes of said sub-volumes defines a tested volume, and wherein, as the result of said diluting, the number of said plurality of reaction vessels exceeds the number of target nucleic acid molecules in said tested volume; d) treating said multiple vessel array with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification reagents and conditions to produce a detectable signal in the presence of said target nucleic acid; e) determining how many of said reaction vessels contain reactions that produce and do not produce said detectable signal; and f) determining the number of target nucleic acid molecules in said sample of step a) using the equation: wherein M wherein N is the number of sub-volumes, and wherein P is the percent of sub-volumes lacking said detectable signal.