Molecular Pathology Flashcards
What is molecular pathology?
Molecular biology is the study of the chemical basis of life. Molecular pathology is the study of disease at that molecular level.
How does molecular biology relate to pathology?
Molecular pathologists study diagnosis and treatment of cancer, retroviruses, tumor suppressor genes, and silencing of oncogenes.
What does an oncogene do?
An oncogene is a mutated gene that gives a growth advantage to the cell.
What is the difference between a tumor suppressor gene and an oncogene?
Oncogenes add growth and proliferation functions to tumor cells, and tumor suppressor genes inhibit those functions.
What are some molecular methods used to classify, diagnose, and treat cancer?
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA/RNA sequencing, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).
