Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay

Advances in molecular genetics and biotechnology are changing the practice of medicine. Completion of the human genome sequence and development of high-throughput semiautomated DNA analysis techniques have resulted in an exponential increase in the rate of discovery of new disease genes. The challenge of understanding complex, multigenic diseases, and the role of genetic variability in disease risk is now within reach. Identification of genetic mutation is assuming increasing importance in cancer diagnosis and in the detection and characterization of infectious agents. The emerging field of molecular genetic medicine has resulted in a need for new technologies capable of probing large numbers of gene sequences with sufficient selectivity to distinguish single-nucleotide differences.