POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF l\10LECULAR BIOLOGY IN GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS

Abstract

Molecular biology is a new branch of biological sciences, with novel laboratory techniques that are being progressively applied into biomedical and clinical research and, furthermore, into medical practice. Molecular biology is concerned, in the medical field, in disease diagnosis based on the advances in the techniques used, and the treatment of genetic or non-genetic disorders through the use of gene therapy. This is referred to as molecular medicine.

The rate of development of molecular biological techniques, and their application to clinical practice, has shown great improvement in the last two decades. In obstetrics, using novel techniques as PCR has had a profound effect on the mother and the fetus. Maternal disorders, like pre-eclampsia, are studied on a molecular basis to reach a proper treatment for the women who suffer from problems related to pregnancy. Besides, these molecular techniques are used in the prenatal diagnosis via minimally invasive and non-invasive approaches, thus avoiding placing the pregnancy at the risk of invasive procedures as icase of cordocentesis and amniocentesis. Minimally invasive prenatal diagnosis involves the flushing of the uterine cervix to retrieve fetal cells, while non-invasive ways is achieved via the collection of fetal cells or fetal DNA from the maternal circulation.