A Review of Molecular Diagnostics: Fundamentals, Methods, & Clinical Applications

Extract

As stated in the preface, the audience for this textbook is primarily clinical laboratory science students at all levels. However, it also would be well-suited for pathology residents, infectious disease personnel, and other health-related disciplinarians who have a need to understand the purpose, principle, and interpretation of molecular diagnostic testing. Molecular diagnostic laboratory practitioners will find the book to be an excellent reference resource.

The book is composed of three sections and sixteen chapters. Section I, “Fundamentals of Nucleic Acid Biochemistry: An Overview”, contains three chapters devoted to ‘DNA’, ‘RNA’, and ‘Proteins’. Section II, “Common Techniques in Molecular Biology”, contains six chapters devoted to ‘Nucleic Acid Extraction Methods’, ‘Resolution and Detection of Nucleic Acids’, ‘Analysis and Characterization of Nucleic Acids and Proteins’, ‘Nucleic Acid Amplification’, ‘Chromosomal Structure and Chromosomal Mutations’, ‘Gene Mutations’, and ‘DNA Sequencing’. Section III, “Techniques in the Clinical Lab”, contains six chapters devoted to ‘DNA Polymorphism and Human Identification’, ‘Detection and Identification of Microorganisms’, ‘Molecular Detection of Inherited Diseases’, ‘Molecular Oncology’, ‘DNA-based Tissue Typing’, and ‘Quality Assurance, and Quality Control in the Molecular Laboratory’. Thus, the content represents the service offered by a comprehensive molecular diagnostic laboratory.

Each chapter contains a brief outline of its content, learning objectives, well-suited content, study questions, and references. Answers to study questions are provided in an appendix. Topical subheadings in each chapter are printed in bold black letters, highlighted green; diagrams are in green and gray. There is a total of 312 illustrations. Key terms are in bold and defined where…