A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects genetic material from a pathogen or abnormal cell sample. Ways of collecting samples include a nasal swab, a saliva swab, or taking a sample of blood.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid (antigen) tests for COVID-19 both involve taking a swab. Results for a PCR test take longer, as it needs to go to a laboratory. It is more costly but tends to ...

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Every American traveling abroad needs to take an antigen test to return to the United States. But the start of the trip is often even more cumbersome, as many other countries (nearly every one I have ...

Researchers often call the polymerase chain reaction test – known as the PCR test – "the gold standard" for detecting the COVID-19 virus. The test is considered highly reliable and effective, and it ...

Researchers have built an RT-PCR platform that gives results in 23 minutes that match the longer laboratory-based tests -- faster than other PCR tests on the market. It can be adapted to test for a ...

New COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and other activities are fueling consumer demand for highly accurate polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests with rapid turnaround times. Some ...

While they've been the gold standard to identify positive coronavirus cases around the world for more than a year, PCR tests still aren't trusted by some social media users. An Oct. 4 Instagram post ...

Johns Hopkins researchers developed microdevices known as "theragrippers" that were designed to "latch onto intestinal mucosa and release drugs into the body" over an extended period of time. But they ...