What is a LAMP reaction?

A LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) reaction is used for DNA amplification. This novel but fast-growing technique combines simplicity, speed, and high specificity throughout all steps of the reaction, from extraction of nucleic acids to detection of amplification. 

In the LAMP reaction, amplification of samples is carried out at a fixed temperature. This is done through a repetition of two types of elongation reactions that take place at the loop regions. The first type of elongation reaction is a self-elongation of templates from the stem loop structure formed at the 3′-terminal. The second is the binding and elongation of new primers to the loop region. Its speed, simplicity and high specificity makes the LAMP reaction the preferred technique for a wide array of applications including genetic testing in low-resource settings, point-of-care testing, and rapid testing of environmental samples and food products.