Improving health care and laboratory medicine: the past, present, and future of molecular diagnostics

Deborah M. Green, PhD

In vitro diagnostics has many different disciplines. Histology tests are classic for diagnosis, followed by chemistry and serology tests. The newest in vitro diagnostic tools are molecular. These clinical tests are used to determine therapy type, duration, and dose; they are also used to determine if therapy has been successful. The choice of test depends upon the question being asked. Roche has developed a portfolio of polymerase chain reaction business units based on disease areas. In six areas, an expertise is already present: virology, women's health, genomics, microbiology, blood screening, and oncology. This article discusses applications of molecular diagnostics in these fields.