Synthesis of quantitation standards for nested competitive PCR for the determination of minimal residual disease in B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Quantitative PCR-based assays of leukaemic cells in remission marrow hold promise for therapeutic guidance, but are not yet sufficiently reliable for clinical application. For B-lineage ALL, these assays usually involve PCR of clonal somatic gene rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. The most accurate quantification can be achieved by competitive PCR. Here we present a novel approach for the production of reference standards for use in nested competitive PCR of these gene rearrangements, which might enable more reliable assessment of MRD for prognosis and selection of patients for individualised therapy.