DNA based diagnostic tests: Recombinant DNA and cardiovascular disease risk factors

: Advances in molecular biology and medical biotechnology are continuously creating exciting possibilities for DNA based diagnostics. It is now possible by simple procedures to detect polymorphic DNA markers, structural variants and regulatory mutants of human genes, allowing detailed genotyping of patients. The innovative combination of immunoenzymatic techniques, monoclonal antibodies and recombinant tracer proteins, results in new DNA based tests for the determination of important biochemical parameters, in order to define more precisely the phenotype and hence assess the individual risk. The application of these technologies to the analysis of dyslipidemias, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases may not only lead to a better understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of these pathologies, but also to their early recognition and better management.