 RTQPCR is a sensitive and increasingly used method for gene expression quantification. However, it is important to note that the expression of commonly used reference genes can vary significantly in certain contexts. In order to overcome this issue, researchers should select reference genes that are specific to the context under investigation. This is where REF genes comes into play. It is a community tool developed for selecting reference genes that are optimized for the particular context. Validation studies have shown that REF genes performs better than commonly used reference genes. This article was authored by Blula Stefan, Khaled Jeeva Luba, for Brew Feed, and others.