History of polymerase chain reaction

Simpler machines for Taq-based PCR were developed, and on November 19, 1987, a press release announces the commercial availability of the "PCR-1000 Thermal Cycler" and "AmpliTaq DNA Polymerase".

In the spring of 1985 John Sninsky at Cetus began to use PCR for the difficult task of measuring the amount of HIV circulating in blood.

In 1985 Norm Arnheim, also a member of the development team, concluded his sabbatical at Cetus and assumed an academic position at University of Southern California.

[27] These single-copy amplifications, which had first been run during the characterization of Taq polymerase,[24] became vital to the study of ancient DNA, as well as the genetic typing of preimplanted embryos.

A panel of DNA samples from old cases was collected and coded, and was analyzed blind by Saiki using the HLA DQα assay.