Nucleic acid hybridization diagnostic applications

The following discussion is focused on in vitro applications of monoclonal antibodies and nucleic acid probes as diagnostic reagents. The principles of production and characteristics of Mabs are described in Chapter 2. Their use as in vivo diagnostic imaging agents has been discussed in Chapter 3 in the context of therapeutic applications, and is not discussed further here. The principles of PCR and nucleic acid hybridization have been discussed in Chapter 2 and Chapter 4, respectively. 

Nucleic acid probe methods which rely on the specificity of nucleic acid hybridization reaction, combined with the powerful methods of nucleic acid amplification, are expected to spawn many new diagnostic tests which may be useful in the detection and treatment of infectious diseases, cancer, and inherited disorders. The impact of development and applications of diagnostic tests based on nucleic acid probes and on Mab technology wiU be felt increasingly as deeper understanding of diseases at a molecular level is gained. 

Recently, the use of AR has extended into several other areas, yielding interesting information for cytology, fresh cell/tissue sections, and fluorescence IHC (fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]), in addition to adaptations of the method for extraction of nucleic acids and proteins from FFPE tissues for use with modern methods of molecular analysis. In this chapter, the emphasis is on expanded applications in diagnostic cytology, fresh frozen cell/... 

Triplex, quadruplex, and nucleic acid analog probes hold promise for assays of improved sensitivity and specificity. To date, limited use has been made of nucleic acid analogs as probes even though the advantages of some structural types for antisense therapeutics may extend to diagnostic applications. The use of such probes will increase specificity and sensitivity of probe hybridization assays. 

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