Issues 100-76

Issue 97: Epplen, Jörg T.; Rieß, Angelika; Rieß, Olaf: DNA-Diagnostik in der Humangenetik: Voraussetzungen und Tendenzen. March 1995

In medicine, molecular biology has particularly revolutionized the subject of human genetics. Human genetics represents a longitudinal section in biomedicine with a spectrum ranging from pure basic science ("total genom analysis") to therapeutic approaches for so far incurable diseases. On the other hand, representing a cross-section discipline means that mutual exchanges occur permanently with virtually all clinical subjects. Molecular genetic diagnostics opens new fields of ethical conflicts. Therefore molecular genetic diagnoses have to be accompanied by expert genetic counselling. Yet genetic counselling cannot (always) offer appropiate "magic formulas". The consequences resulting from the new opportunities have to be individual-centered, but they are nevertheless not easy to grasp in all details. Current possibilities of DNA technologies are discussed critically, extrapolated into the near future as well as novel developments in molecular genetic medicine are anticipated.