Introducing the digital PCR data essentials standard to harmonize data structure for clinical and research use
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Digital PCR (dPCR) is a powerful technology for absolute quantification of nucleic acids, valued for its accuracy, sensitivity, and repeatability. Yet, the commercialization of different instruments with proprietary software has introduced challenges to data analysis, interoperability, and comparability. Therefore, we present the Digital PCR Data Essentials Standard (DDES) – a lightweight, human- and machine-readable, and cross-platform data standard developed in collaboration with the dPCR community. The standard consists of three file types designed to enable both manual inspection and automated analysis: (i) a main file summarizing experiment and reaction-level (meta-)data; (ii) an assay file describing targets and detection chemistry, and (iii) intensity files capturing partition-level raw fluorescence data per reaction. DDES supports a wide range of current dPCR applications, including singleplex and multiplex assays, endpoint and real-time readouts, and will be curated to implement future dPCR developments. By harmonizing the data structure, DDES lays out the foundation for FAIR dPCR data practices and supports improved software compatibility, collaborative and reproducible research, and future dPCR data repositories.
Authors: Trypsteen Wim, Vynck Matthijs, Untergrasser Andreas, Alexandra S Whale, Rödiger Stefan, Dobnik David, Bogožalec Košir Alexandra, Milavec Mojca, Kubista Mikael, Michael W Pfaffl, Abdel Nour Afif, Young-Kyung Bae, Stephen A Bustin, George A Calin, Chen Yao, Megan H Cleveland, Alfonso De Falco, Forootan Amin, Denise M O’Sullivan, Alison S Devonshire, Carole A Foy, Stephanie I Fraley, David G Gleerup, He Hua-Jun, Hellemans Jan, Lievens Antoon, Guro E Lind, Porco David, Romsos Erica, Thas Olivier, Drandi Daniela, Taly Valerie, Marie de Tayrac, Jim F Huggett, Vandesompele Jo, Ward De Spiegelaere
Institutions: Ghent University, Heidelberg University, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, National Institute of Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Qiagen (Germany), Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Anglia Ruskin University, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, University of Surrey, University of California San Diego, Oslo University Hospital, Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg, University of Turin, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, La Ligue Contre le Cancer, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7154022890