Towards fast and inexpensive molecular diagnostic: the case of TP53

Background: Much research suggests that TP53 mutations have prognostic importance and sometimes are a significant factor in clinical oncology. A considerable effort has been made to develop fast and inexpensive methods for TP53 mutations detection. Methods: On the basis of describing the role of TP53 as tumor suppressor gene and TP53 mutation spectrum, the authors discuss conventional methods and new technologies for TP53 mutations detection. This discussion is supported by more recent publications in the field of both molecular genetics and analysis technologies. Results: Biosensors and gene chips are of considerable recent interest, due to their tremendous promise for obtaining sequence-specific information in a faster, simpler and cheaper manner compared to traditional methods. Conclusions: New methods such as biosensors and gene chips appear promising as analytical methods of detecting mutations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.