Previously, cleavable latent primers were described:

Spatially Localized Exponential Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA).
A Novel Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification, Rolling Circle Chain Reaction (RCCR).

'Herein are described latent primers which need only to hybridize to the target sequence to become active primers.

Figure 1 shows the first example thereof. Therein, a hairpin latent primer becomes an active primer subsequent to hybridizing to the target sequence (which itself could be an amplification template).

Because there may be residual priming of the RCA template by the hairpin latent primer independent of the target sequence, and construct depicted in Figure 2 was conceived.

Therein, the latent primer is such that its sequence which hybridizes to the RCA template is not sufficiently long to make a stable hybrid on its own. However, the RCA template is also hybridized to the target sequence adjacent to the position the latent primer so as to stabilize, via proximity, the the latent primer's hybridization to the template.

This invention, as all the inventions described in this journal, is at the conceptual stage and it is hope that those with laboratories will investigate its full potential.

Claims: