In Quantitative PCR Protocols, Bernd Kochanowski and Udo Reischl assemble a significant collection of established and novel methods for the successful quantitation of nucleic acids. Each method has been refined and tested by its developer and proven to work in such problems as the analysis of eukaryotic gene expression, the quantitation of viral loads in clinical specimens, reporter gene expression, and quantitative oncogene analysis. Particular emphasis is placed on the underlying principles of the design of competitive or noncompetitive standards, as well as on the optimization of the amplification process. In important cases several methods are given for the same problem so that readers may set up test systems tailored to their specific practical needs. Quantitative PCR Protocols provides a collection of detailed methods that offers comprehensive and up-to-date information on how to control PCR to obtain reliable quantitation. With its step-by-step instructions researchers can really master the complexities of PCR and address otherwise inaccessible biological and diagnostic questions.