Molecular Pathology- Miscellaneous I
Question No. 18. The Answer is: (B) A cocktail of RNA probes.
Discussion: Hybrid Capture is an FDA approved diagnostic kit for the detection of 13 high-risk human papilloma viruses. It is currently the most widely used molecular method for detection of HPV in uterine cervical specimens. The probes used in the kit comprise a mixture of RNA probes that hybridize to the genomic DNA of HPV when present. These hybrids are then captured onto microtiter plates by monoclonal antibodies than recognize DNA/RNA hybrids. There follows a series of detection steps that ultimately gives a fluorescent reading that tells you if HPV is present in the sample or not.