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.
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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.