Extraction of DNA from Microdissected Archival Tissues

Many modern analytical methods require little material, which has made feasible biochemical and molecular analyses of small tissue fragments, even individual cells, by microdissection of histological sections (1 ,2 ). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can potentially be applied to the analysis of single DNA molecules, as in the analysis of single haploid cells, such as spermatozoa (3 ). This sensitivity requires careful attention to technique and proper controls to avoid false positive or other spurious results.