The past decade has seen the growth of analytic methodologies based on
antibody and DNA probe technologies. In fact, these two technologies
have revolutionized the whole field of human, veterinary, and
agriculture diagnostics. The emphasis has been to develop tests that are
fast, reliable, and user-friendly, and that can be performed on site by
attending individuals or patients. The tests should also be amenable to
automation for high throughput for use in commercial and hospital
laboratories. The mushroomed growth of such diagnostics has created a
niche for a book that can bring together the perspective of the upcoming
technologies that are otherwise in their infancy. The intent of this
book is to present readers with these state-of-the-art futuristic
methods, which will be the hallmark of diagnostics in the twenty-first
century. These new technologies have lain the foundation for a plethora
of new diagnostic companies whose products are still not fully accepted
because of practical challenges and the newness of their ideas. The
chapters in this book have been written by world-renowned authorities in
their fields of expertise. All aspects of diagnostics are covered:
clinical, agricul- ture, veterinary, and environmental. State-of-the-art
immunodiagnostic methods such as nephelometric immunoassay,
time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, and threshold immunoassay are
discussed. Chapters on DNA-probe-based diagnostics and PCR technology
are also included, since they are finding their ways rapidly because of
their specificity and ease of probe production. A chapter on biosensors
discusses the latest development on this topic and its possible
potential in modem-day diagnostics.
