Expression genetics: a different approach to cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Expression genetics is a new approach to the identification of cancer-related genes. Instead of studying gene mutations at the genome level, it focuses on the investigation of heredity at the RNA level. By isolating genes whose expression is up or down regulated in cancers, expression geneticists study their function in the context of gene regulation. A major goal of expression genetics in cancer is to correct gene expression in tumors by the application of potential therapeutic agents.