Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Recent advances in the field of human molecular genetics have revealed gene based disease mechanisms in many areas of medicine. The study of new prognostic and diagnostic markers in large numbers of clinical specimens is an important step in translating the new findings from basic science to clinical practice. Tissue microarray is a recent innovation which facilitates analysis and bridges the gap between candidate discovery and candidate testing. They are routinely used molecular epidemiology, drug development, and determine the prognostic, diagnostic and predictive value of new biomarkers. This technology should not be confused with DNA microarrays where each tiny spot represents a unique cloned cDNA or oligonucleotide. In tissue microarrays, the spots are larger and contain small histologic sections from unique tumors or tissues. The purpose of this article is to review this increasingly popular technology, focusing on several technical aspects of tissue microarray applications.