title: Genetics and molecular biology in laboratory medicine, 1963-2013.
abstract: The past 50 years have seen many changes in laboratory medicine, either as causes or consequences of increases in productivity and expansion of the range of information which can be provided. The drivers and facilitators of change in relation to clinical applications of molecular biology included the need for diagnostic tools for genetic diseases and technical advances such as PCR and sequencing. However, molecular biology techniques have proved to have far wider applications, from detection of infectious agents to molecular characterization of tumors. Journals such as Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine play an important role in communication of these advances to the laboratory medicine community and in publishing evaluations of their practical value.
authors.affiliation: Genetic Epidemiology, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia. John.Whitfield@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Whitfield
mesh_terms: D002624:Chemistry, Clinical / Q000266:history*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000266:history*; D015510:Clinical Medicine / Q000266:history*; D005823:Genetics / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000266:history*