title: The postgenomic era: implications for the clinical laboratory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the advances in clinically useful molecular biological techniques and to identify their applications in clinical practice, as presented at the Tenth Annual William Beaumont Hospital DNA Symposium.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 11 manuscripts submitted were reviewed and their major findings were compared with literature on the same topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Manuscripts address creative thinking techniques applied to DNA discovery, extraction of DNA from clotted blood, the relationship of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders, and molecular methods to identify human lymphocyte antigen class I and class II loci. Two other manuscripts review current issues in molecular microbiology, including detection of hepatitis C virus and biological warfare. The last 5 manuscripts describe current issues in molecular cardiovascular disease, including assessing thrombotic risk, genomic analysis, gene therapy, and a device for aiding in cardiac angiogenesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Novel problem-solving techniques have been used in the past and will be required in the future in DNA discovery. The extraction of DNA from clotted blood demonstrates a potential cost-effective strategy. Cybrids created from mitochondrial DNA-depleted cells and mitochondrial DNA from a platelet donor have been useful in defining the role mitochondria play in neurodegeneration. Mitochondrial depletion has been reported as a genetically inherited disorder or after human immunodeficiency virus therapy. Hepatitis C viral detection by qualitative, quantitative, or genotyping techniques is useful clinically. Preparedness for potential biological warfare is a responsibility of all clinical laboratorians. Thrombotic risk in cardiovascular disorders may be assessed by coagulation screening assays and further defined by mutation analysis for specific genes for prothrombin and factor V Leiden. Gene therapy for reducing arteriosclerotic risk has been hindered primarily by complications introduced by the vectors used to introduce the therapeutic genes. Neovascularization in cardiac muscle with occluded vessels represents a promising method for recovery of viable tissue following ischemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sequence of the human genome was reported by 2 groups in February 2001. The postgenomic era will emphasize the use of microarrays and database software for genomic and proteomic screening in the search for useful clinical assays. The number of molecular pathologic techniques and assays will expand as additional disease-associated mutations are defined. Gene therapy and tissue engineering will represent successful therapeutic adjuncts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI 48073-6769, USA. fkiechle@beaumont.edu
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Kiechle
authors.forename: Xinbo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D004194:Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods*