Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating a solution containing among others, target nucleic acid to be amplified in order to destroy any ribonucleic acid that is present in the solution and that could possibly be amplified in another assay. The method is useful to avoid carry-over contamination between experiments. Thus, the present invention provides a method for treating a solution containing at least one target nucleic acid of interest to be amplified comprising the following steps: contacting suitable amplification reagents and at least one target nucleic acid in the presence of i. at least one ribonuclease (RNase), and ii.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use in a diagnostic hybridization assay of a molecular beacon probe for lowering: the effect of sequence variations in a nucleic acid analyte, and/or the IBL effect due to the possible opening of the stem-loop structure of a molecular beacon by way of (contaminants in the amplification) enzymes, which assay comprises the steps of contacting a set of primers and a sample containing the nucleic acid analyte to amplify the analyte and detecting the amplified analyte or its complement using a molecular beacon probe, wherein the molecular beacon probe comprises one or more nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogues that have an affinity increasing modification. The invention also relates to such molecular beacon probe and to a kit for performing a diagnostic assay using such molecular beacon probe.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating a solution containing among others, target nucleic acid to be amplified in order to destroy any ribonucleic acid that is present in the solution and that could possibly be amplified in another assay. The method is useful to avoid carry-over contamination between experiments. Thus, the present invention provides a method for treating a solution containing at least one target nucleic acid of interest to be amplified comprising the following steps: contacting suitable amplification reagents and at least one target nucleic acid in the presence of i. at least one ribonuclease (RNase), and ii.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use in a diagnostic hybridisation assay of a probe or a molecular beacon probe for lowering: the effect of sequence variations in a nucleic acid analyte, and/or the IBL effect due to the possible opening of the stem-loop structure of a molecular beacons by way of (contaminants in the amplification) enzymes, which assay comprises the steps of contacting a set of primers and a sample containing the nucleic acid analyte to amplify the analyte and detecting the amplified analyte or its complement by means of the probe, wherein the probe or molecular beacon probe comprises one or more nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogues that have an affinity increasing modification. The invention also relates to such probe and molecular beacon probe and to a kit for performing a diagnostic assay using such probe or molecular beacon probe.