Molecular Diagnostics

The field of molecular diagnostics is one that continues to develop as a renewing instrument of technological progress in the clinical laboratory and improved patient care in medicine, although not as rapidly as had been earlier expected.. While the term “molecular diagnostics,” in its broadest sense, can be applied to clinical chemistry or immunoassay with equal validity—both technologies analyze molecular species—it has been reserved primarily for use with technology and techniques that identify and/or quantitate genetic materials (DNA, RNA).

Based on this, a better nomenclature might be “nucleic acid diagnostics” or “genetic diagnostics.” The term “molecular diagnostics,” however, has become the standard terminology that describes a technology dealing solely with the array of nucleotide sequences called gene and their expression and/or identifying presence in the determination of pathological states. It is likely that the term is derived from “molecular biology,” which deals with the relationship of genetic materials to biological function.

Modern technology, however, is beginning to give new meaning to the term “molecular diagnostics.” These new technologies have massive potential for the typing of diseases (e.g., such as in cancer and viral infections), determination of variations in disease state based on therapeutic administration, and the development of newer and more effective therapeutics. Reports in this category will provide market projections, company analysis and testing product trends for this emerging market. NAT testing, molecular prenatal testing, pharmacogenomics, infectious disease testing, are among the areas within molecular diagnostics.