The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Molecular diagnostics has become a growing part of the clinical laboratory. It includes all tests and methods to identify a disease and understand the predisposition for a disease analyzing DNA or RNA of an organism. Rapid advances in molecular diagnostics enable basic research and results in practical diagnostic tests. The basic application is to determine changes in sequence or expression levels...
Omics has become the new mantra in molecular research. “Omics” technologies include genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Genomics had revealed the static sequences of genes and proteins and focus has now been shifted to their dynamic functions and interactions. Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics reveal the biological function of the gene product. The “-omic-” technologies...
Modern molecular medicine encompasses the utilization of many molecular biological techniques in the analysis of disease, disease genes and disease gene function. The study of disease genes and their function in an unaffected individual has been possible by the development of recombinant DNA and cloning techniques. The term gene cloning covers a range of techniques that makes it possible to manipulate...
Aptamers are a new class of therapeutic and diagnostic reagents identified as binding molecules to numerous small compounds, proteins and rarely even to complete pathogen particles. Aptamers are typically selected from libraries of random DNA (or RNA) sequences through systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). This method is an in vitro method of selection of DNA or RNA sequences,...
Reporter genes have become an invaluable tool in studies of gene expression. Reporter gene technology is widely used to monitor the cellular events associated with signal transduction and gene expression. Based upon the splicing of transcriptional control elements to a variety of reporter genes (with easily measurable phenotypes), it “reports” the effects of a cascade of signaling events on gene expression...
The Human Genome Project has heralded a whole new era in our understanding of the molecular basis of disease. New opportunities now arise to predict disease by genetic testing, and in some cases to prevent disease through surveillance or other specific interventions. Increasingly it will be possible to test for predisposition to disease, to develop new treatments or to tailor available treatments...
The completion of the human genome project is widely regarded as a turning point in biology and medicine. As we usher in the “post-genomic” era, we are faced with an explosion of new information, which is leading to dramatic changes in the way we are able to study and manipulate life. Over the last few years, bimolecular research has progressed to functional genomics and the application of this knowledge...
The ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) program was created by the HGP to address issues that arise as a result of the program but that are not directly related to sequencing of the genome. Clinicians, scientists, patient advocacy groups, and government agencies worldwide are debating the optimal legal protections to prevent abuse. Massive amounts of data flowing from the Human Genome Project...
Kary Mullis devised a method of replicating genes called "PCR" (polymerase chain reaction). A DNA sequence less than one part in a million of the total sample can be cloned. In fact, a single gene can be amplified into millions of duplicate copies. In order to determine the exact DNA sequence of a gene or section of DNA, it is necessary to have an adequate sample of the particular gene to...
Nucleic acid hybridization techniques have contributed significantly to the understanding of gene organization, regulation and expression. In situ hybridization is a method for detecting specific nucleotide sequences by using a labeled complementary nucleic acid probe. The power of in situ hybridization can be greatly extended by the simultaneous use of multiple fluorescent colors. Multicolor fluorescence...
Antibody-based detection systems for specific Ags are versatile and powerful tools for various molecular and cellular analyses, as well as clinical diagnostics. The power of such systems originates from the considerable specificity of Abs for particular antigenic epitopes. There are, however, numerous examples where important biological markers for cancer, infectious disease, or biochemical processes...
Phage display is a method of generating antibody reagents, and phage-antibody libraries to provide a rich source of antibody diversity, potentially providing hundreds of unique antibodies per target. The antibody gene, once isolated, can be conveniently shuttled into a variety of expression formats, providing a renewable resource of antibody protein.
DNA microarrays are the modern, parallel version of classic molecular biology hybridization techniques allowing the monitoring the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously in a single run. Microarray allows rapid measurement and visualisation of differential expression of the whole genome scale. Using microarrays, RNA sample from any cell or tissue type can be analysed for changes in transcript...
As we enter into the twenty-first century, advances in medical technology help in the discovery of more genetic diseases. DNA sensing has become increasingly important for rapid genetic screening and detection. DNA biosensors offer considerable promise for obtaining the sequence specific information in human, viral and bacterial nucleic acid in a faster, simpler and cheaper manner as compared to traditional...
The application of molecular testing methods in the clinical laboratory has dramatically improved our ability to diagnose infectious diseases. Nucleic acid techniques, such as plasmid profiling, various methods for generating restriction fragment length polymorphisms and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are making increasing inroads into clinical laboratories. However, the clinical usefulness of...
Fuelled by ever-growing DNA sequence information, proteomics, the large scale analysis of proteins, has become one of the most important disciplines for characterizing gene function, for building functional linkages between protein molecules, and for providing insight into the mechanisms of biological processes in a high-throughput mode. The long-term challenge of proteomics is enormous: to define...
Nanomedicine is the medical use of molecular-sized particles to deliver drugs, heat, light or other substances to specific cells in the human body. Engineering particles to be used in this way allows detection and/or treatment of diseases or injuries within the targeted cells, thereby minimizing the damage to healthy cells in the body. Nanoparticles can attach to cells infected with various diseases...
In the post-genomic age, the means to search the entire genome for biomarkers has become available, but the conventional approaches to biomarker discovery are entirely inadequate to yield results with the new technology. Finding clinically useful biomarker panels with sensitivity and specificity equal to that of cystoscopy is a problem of systems biology. Biomarkers are capable of bridging the distance...
As molecular techniques for identifying and detecting microorganisms in the clinical microbiology laboratory have become routine, questions about the cost of these techniques and their contribution to patient care need to be addressed. Molecular diagnosis is most appropriate for infectious agents that are difficult to detect, identify, or test for susceptibility in a timely fashion with conventional...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.