GEN, Scintellix, LLC, and Bio-Rad are proud to announce that the Cryptogram Challenge: qPCR has been solved. Owen Piette, electrical engineer at Integrated DNA Technologies, successfully cracked the code in the qPCR Cryptogram Challenge. Owen along with a colleague also won GEN's first contest, the MicroArray Challenge.

Click here to find out the hidden message and how Piette found it. In addition to a $1,500 cash prize, he won Bio-Rad's MyCyclerTM personal thermal cycler, which he plans to donate to a research laboratory.

Clues Released during the qPCR Challenge

Clue 1: The image is a stylized readout of a quantitative PCR experiment. The bases, A, T, G, and C, are artistically displayed within the readout as if in solution.

Clue 2: The horizontal black 'threshold' line is irrelevant.

Clue 3: Cycle Numbers encode linear vertical lanes and Relative Fluorescent Units encode log plotted horizontal lanes. Their product is important.

Clue 4: The curved triplicate readout plots are irrelevant.

Clue 5: Biological specificity is important.

Clue 6: A clue to the solution can be found on this web page: http://www.genengnews.com/keyword/pcr/254

Clue 7: The answer has three words.

Clue 8: Draw lines between any two bases that are co-linear, accept only AT or GC combinations.

Clue 9: midpoint of the AT and GC lines identify cells that code for letters. There are 21 letters in total. Repeat letters have multiple line midpoints over them.

Clue 10: The clue on the web page in clue six is the inventor of PCR, Kary Mullis.

Clue 11: In the encoded alphabet, the letters in his last name add up to 50.

Questions? Contact Us.

Decode the cipher hidden in the image below

qPCR Challenge PRIZE: $1,500 and your choice of one of five Bio-Rad benchtop devices

Select from: Gene Pulser Xcell™ eukaryotic system, MyCycler™ personal thermal cycler, TC10™ automated cell counter, VersaFluor™ fluorometer, and SmartSpec™ Plus spectrophotometer.

The first 150 registrants will receive a free Challenge T-shirt.

Be sure to read the Challenge Rules and Regulations »

Good Luck!