LAUSR

In the field of clinical chemistry, there is a major push to harmonize and standardize laboratory processes and materials to improve the equivalency of reported test results and reduce the risk of postanalytical errors. The impetus of harmonized results is expanding to the field of molecular pathology and is seen in the development of standardized reference materials for the measurement of pathogens in clinical samples, and the harmonization of PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis and cancer screening, respectively. Molecular methods are used to study microbial communities in the human body to assess contributions of microbiota to human health. Microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract comprise one of the best studied ecosystems owing to their large volume, high diversity, and …