The polymerase chain reaction in pathology.

The movie J7urassic Park and real life events like the 0 J Simpson trial have captured public interest in molecular biology. The basis of molecular biology is the understanding of the structure and function of DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well as the techniques for manipulating these molecules. In this review we demonstrate how a single technique revolutionised this research area and made molecular biological methods accessible, not only to research groups but also to diagnostic pathology laboratories. As a result, molecular pathology is now firmly established as a pathology discipline, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of disease as well as innovative techniques in diagnosis.