. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 1. Proteomic Prediction of Disease Outcome in Cancer: Clinical Framework and Current Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 2. Implications of Genetic Testing in the Management of Colorectal Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 3. Genetic Polymorphisms of Estrogen Receptor-α: Possible Implications for Targeted Osteoporosis Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 4. DNA Testing for Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Improving Disease Recognition and Patient Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 5. Technologies for Individual Genotyping: Detection of Genetic Polymorphisms in Drug Targets and Disease Genes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 6. Biological Imaging for the Diagnosis of Inflammatory Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Molecular diagnostics is a rapidly evolving area, both in the identification of new molecular markers of Abstract disease and treatment response, and in the development of technologies to apply them in the clinic. To help keep you up to date with the latest advances, this section of the journal brings you abstracts selected from recently published issues of Adis journals, covering innovative technologies and clinical applications of molecular markers for the diagnosis and targeted treatment of human disease. Steinert R, Von Hoegen P, Fels LM, et al. Proteomic prediction of disease outcome in 1. Proteomic Prediction of Disease Outcome in cancer: clinical framework and current status. Am J Pharmacogenomics 2003; 3 (2): Cancer: Clinical Framework and Current Status 107-15 Better than gene sequencing or quantitative amplification, 2. Implications of Genetic Testing in the proteomics tools allow the study of tumor phenotype. Indeed, most Management of Colorectal Cancer current prognostic tests in cancer (carcinoembryonary antigen The prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer is impacted by [CEA], prostate-specific antigen [PSA], CA 19-1, CA 125, alphavarious factors at the time of diagnosis, including location of the fetoprotein [AFP], etc.) are based on the detection and quantificatumor, gender, age and overall performance status of the patient. tion of single proteins in body fluids. However, a common characOptimal postoperative management of patients who have underteristic of these tests is their relatively low predictive value, so that gone successful tumor resection involves the utilization of reliable they are usually complemented with other procedures such as determninants of prognosis to help select patients who would biopsy and/or endoscopy. Recently, improved analytical and biobenefit from adjuvant treatment, while sparing others from druginformatics tools have driven the attention on pattern recognition related adverse effects. Tailoring chemotherapy for patients with approaches rather then single-marker tests for prognostic forecastdisseminated cancer, or for patients who receive adjuvant chemoing. It is expected that predicting metastasization on the basis of therapy, is also critical. tumoral protein patterns will soon be a reality. However, currently available technologies either limit the number of proteins that can Interpatient differences in tumor response and drug toxicity are be analyzed simultaneously or they are expensive, difficult, and common during chemotherapy. Genomic variability of key metatime-consuming. Moreover, the tools adapted for expression bolic enzyme complexes, drug targets, and drug transport moleproteomics might not be the same as those for prognostic studies cules is an important contributing factor. The identification of that require investigation of protein function over time. We believe genetic markers of response and prognosis will aid in the developthat clinical proteomics research designed within a precise clinical ment of more individualized chemotherapuetic strategies for canand pathology framework should be strongly supported, since cer patients. Potential prognostic indicators in colorectal cancer many prognostic factors are determined not by the tumor itself, but include oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, genes involved in by the patient, the treatment and the environment. angiogenic and apoptotic pathways and cell proliferation, and