Molecular Biology Laboratory

PCR and other molecular techniques are being used now not only for research but for diagnosis (Dadzie O, Neat M, Emley A, Bhawan J, Mahalingam M. Molecular Diagnostics-An Emerging Frontier in Dermatopathology. Am J Dermatopathol. 2010; In Press.)

Polymerase Chain Reaction:

  • Gene re-arrangement studies for T-cell receptors. These can also be performed on paraffin embedded tissue and peripheral blood (Andersen WK, Li N, Bhawan J. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR/DGGE)-based detection of clonal T-cell receptor Y gene rearrangements in parraffin-embedded cutaneous biopsies in cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. J Cutan Pathol 1999; 26:176-182)
  • HHV-8 for the diagnosis of aids and non-aids related Kaposi’s sarcoma. (Li N, Andersen WK, Bhawan J. Further confirmation of the association of human herpesvirus 8 with Kaposi’s sarcoma. J. Cutan Pathol 1998; 25(8):413-419)
  • • PCR-based diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases including Leprosy, Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial diseases (Li N, Bajoghli A, Kubba A, Bhawan J. Identification of mycobacterial DNA in cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis. J Cutan Pathol 1999; 26:271-278)

Laser Capture micro-dissection:

This technique allows one to select a microscopic area of interest from a slide and use that material for further analysis for gene mutations.

  1. Nguyen LP, Emley A, Wajapeyee N, Green MR, Mahalingam M. BRAFV600E and the tumor suppressor IGFBP7 in atypical genital nevi. Br J Dermatol 2010;162(3):677
  2. Emley A, Yang S, Wajapeyee N, Green MR, Mahalingam M. Oncogenic BRAF and the tumor suppressor IGFBP7 in the genesis of atypical spitzoid nevomelanocytic proliferations. J Cut Pathol 2010; 37(3):344
  3. Dadzie O, Yang S, Emley A, Keady M, Bhawan J, Mahalingam M. RAS and RAF mutations in banal melanocytic aggregates contiguous with primary cutaneous melanoma – clues to melanomagenesis. Br J Dermatol 2009; 160:368