Process for controlling contamination of nucleic acid amplification reactions

Abstract From the Canadian patent

In the process according to this invention an, amplification procedure is performed on a first sample in which one or more of the four normal ribonucleoside triphosphates (rNTPs) or deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) is replaced with an exo-sample nucleotide. After amplification, any contaminating amplified product that may be remaining is subjected to a physical, chemical enzymatic, or, biological treatment which renders nucleic acid containing the exo-sample nucleotide substantially unamplifiable. The treatment may be done as a separate step or it may be done in the presence of a second sample containing nucleic acid sequences to be amplified. The amplified nucleic acid sequences …