Personalized clinical laboratory diagnostics.

Molecular diagnostics play an important role in development of personalized medicine and may be termed personalized diagnostics. This chapter shows the role of various diagnostic technologies in personalizing treatment. Besides polymerase chain reaction (PCR), several non-PCR methods, biochips/microarrays, and nanobiotechnologies play an important role. Technologies for biomarkers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and cytogenetics provide basic information for personalized medicine. Finally, integration of diagnostics with therapeutics is an important component of personalized medicine. Future challenges and prospects of personalized diagnostics are discussed.