The QuantStudio Real-Time PCR system by Thermo Fisher Scientific is a high-performance instrument designed for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) applications, a technique used to amplify and quantify DNA in real-time. It differs from traditional PCR because it allows for the measurement of DNA amplification as it occurs, using fluorescent dyes or probes, providing accurate and reproducible quantification of nucleic acids (DNA or cDNA [reverse transcribed RNA]) through fluorescence-based detection.