US Patent 7112423 Nucleic acid amplification using nicking agents

The present invention provides methods and kits for amplifying target nucleic acids (including whole genomes) using nicking agents. In certain aspects, the amplification does not require the use of any external oligonucleotide primers that are capable of annealing to a portion of the target nucleic acid. This invention is useful in many areas such as genetic disease diagnoses, forensic analyses and palcoarcheological studies.