Abstract
Isothermal amplification technologies are emerging on the horizon that could have the potential to pose as alternatives to PCR in terms of sensitivity and ease of use. One of the most recent isothermal technologies is helicase-dependent amplification (HDA). This technology uses the helicase’s capability to disrupt the hydrogen bonds of a Watson–Crick base pair in order to separate dsDNA. A denaturation step, as is used in PCR, is no longer required. This gives rise to new, less expensive and less complicated designs for point-of-care devices and ‘Lab on Chip’ systems. Helicase-dependent OnChip-amplification (OnChip-HDA) is a further step into this direction as it integrates the HDA technology with microarray technology and its power of multiplexing. This special report will give an overview on the HDA and OnChip-HDA technology, and its potential for point-of-care diagnostics.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.