Early Detection Saves Grows
The youPCR® Plant Screening Platform allows hemp and cannabis cultivators to screen plants for genetic traits and pathogens, while they are still in the seedling tray. Early screening can be used to prevent costly infestations and save valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent on plants with undesirable traits, such as males.
Savings Across Your Entire Operation
The youPCR® Plant Screening Platform allows growers to run a more efficient operation by spending fewer resources on plants that don’t have desirable traits or could potentially unleash a costly infestation.
Hear From Our Customers
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The youPCR platform helped segregate males and F1s in drug-type x industrial hemp crosses. Being able to segregate plants at the seedling stage saves tremendous time, money, and resources. In addition, it helps manage licenses with limited plant counts. Prior to youPCR, everything was done using the observation method. The youPCR protocol is very easy and runs like a charm on any PCR machine with very minimal molecular laboratory skills or training.
Chief Terpenoid Officer, VSSL
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Working in the cannabis industry in Colorado is extremely competitive and rapidly changing. With new advancements and opportunities at every corner, we have to prioritize efficiency in our breeding program to keep up with a growing market. Conventional breeding methods take a lot of time, labor, and off-site lab testing that slows down our breeding process and costs a lot of money! Working with the Medicinal Genomics team and their youPCR system has given us the opportunity to collect imperative data about our plants in a short amount of time. With the ability to accurately detect plant gender and CBD presence from our seedlings, our selection process has become much easier. YouPCR is easy to use, and our results have been 100% accurate. We would highly recommend getting in touch with the Medicinal Genomics team and seeing what they can do for your garden.
Same-Day Results You Can See with Your Own Eyes
1. Collect 4mm punches from each plant leaf and place each in one well of the pre-aliquoted Solution A strip tube.
2. Heat the tubes, with either a thermal cycler or miniPCR machine, for 50 minutes.
3. Remove liquid from each well and pipette into a new plate or strip tube, containing youPCR Solution B and Solution C.
4. Heat the new plate or strip tube for another 40 minutes.
5. See the results! Positive results will change to yellow, while negatives will remain pink.
View the Protocol
Flexible and Scalable
All current and future youPCR tests can be run on either a 16-well miniPCR thermal cycler or a standard 96-well thermal cycler. Customers should consider volume when choosing which solution will work in their instance. The miniPCR platform is best for small grows or home grows, while larger commercial grows will typically be better suited for a 96-well thermocycler. Contact a Medicinal Genomics representative who can help determine the right solution for your situation.
MiniPCR Thermal Cycler
Best for Small Grows
Test 14 Samples Per Instrument Run
Contact Medicinal Genomics to acquire a discount coupon code that can be used when purchasing from the miniPCR website.
Standard Thermal Cycler
Best for Medium to Large Grows
Test 94 Samples Per Instrument Run
Any programmable 96-well thermocycler with a heated lid will work. qPCR detection is not required.
Getting Started with youPCR is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. Although we have done some initial research into using youPCR to test seeds, we have not done enough to confidently say it works as well as testing leaf. We recommend sampling a seedling’s first set of true leaves when using youPCR.
youPCR assays provide a positive/negative result. When using youPCR to screen for CBDA or THCA synthase, a positive result means there is an active CBDA or THCA synthase allele. Unfortunately, that result can’t be used to predict what percentage the plant will ultimately produce. However, if you combine the CBDA and THCA tests you can determine the plant type.
- Type I Plant (THCA-dominant) = THCA(+) CBDA(-)
- Type II Plant (THCA:CBDA hybrid) = THCA(+) CBDA (+)
- Type III Plant (CBDA-dominant) = THCA(-) CBDA(+)
- Type IV Plant (CBGA-dominant) = THCA(-) CBDA(-)
No. Plants that test negative for THCA or CBDA may still produce low percentages (<2%) of either compound.
No. Cannabis plants typically hermie as a response to stress. Although there may be genetic markers that determine if a plant is more likely to hermie, we have not found them, and we do not target them with our gender test. The youPCR Gender Assay specifically looks for a Y chromosome.
The youPCR Starter Kits do not include PCR Thermal Cyclers. We recommend the following models:
- miniPCR. Use Promo Code “MGC” to receive a discount off list price.
The youPCR Starter Kits also do not include chemical reagents: Solution A, Solution B, Solution C, and Positive Control. Those must be purchased separately on the Medicinal Genomics web store.
In order to successfully test with youPCR, you should have experience with the following laboratory techniques/best practices:
- Liquid handling with a pipette
- Benchtop sterility techniques
- Proper disposal of tips, punches, strip tubes
All of the chemicals and reagents we sell in our webstore are manufactured in facilities that are certified to ISO 9001 and/or ISO 13485 standards.
Still have questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Labs Offering youPCR as a Service
If you would rather a skilled professional test your plants, the following labs offer youPCR products as a service.
Our Microbial Detection Platform is the most accurate, affordable, and scalable solution for California testing labs. Only two reactions needed to test for all six required pathogens (A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus, Salmonella STEC).