Patent ID: 8606529

Claim:
A method for identifying one or more nucleic acids in a sample including at least one unknown nucleic acid, said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a nucleic acid denaturation function P(x, Q 1 , . . . , Q i ) as a mathematical representation including parameters Q 1 , . . . , Q i defining intrinsic physical values characterizing the nucleic acids in the sample; (b) fitting measured denaturation data including a measured quantifiable physical change P of the sample at a plurality of independent sample property points x to the nucleic acid denaturation function P(x, Q 1 , . . . , Q i ) to determine the intrinsic physical values Q 1 , . . . , Q i each of which is associated with one of the nucleic acids; and (c) identifying the nucleic acid in the biological sample by comparing the determined intrinsic physical value Q i for each unknown nucleic acid to an intrinsic physical value Q i for a known nucleic acid.