Introduction to DNA-Based Genetic Diagnostics.

Molecular biology and recombinant DNA technology are beginning to have an effect on the medical health care field, particularly in the area of clinical genetics. Dramatic improvements in the prerequisite technology are in the process of being transferred from the research lab to routine clinical laboratories. The general practitioner, along with his genetic diagnostic colleagues, can soon expect to have access to accurate and reliable diagnostic assays for a wide variety of genetic disorders. This article introduces the basic technologies involved in genetic diagnostics and provides an indication both of their limitations and their future potential.