Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) is a standardized tool for Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) monitoring in pediatric patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), showing a prognostic impact also in the field of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). This approach can be limited by the availability of diagnostic material. Recently, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was introduced and has already led to several research breakthroughs in various fields. The main advantage of this method is that there is no need for external references, since it allows for absolute quantification of target DNA. We evaluated the applicability of ddPCR for MRD analysis in pediatric ALL transplanted patients and we compared the prognostic impact of MRD assessed by RQ-PCR and ddPCR before HSCT
