Novel strategies for therapeutic design in molecular oncology using gene expression profiles

The sequence of the human genome is estimated to be available by the end of the year 2000 [1]. Pursuant to deciphering the genomic code, and the identification of the estimated 40,000 to 100,000 human genes, anticipated technological advances will make possible examination of global gene expression profiles. Despite the current inaccessibility to the entire genome, many fruitful gene expression profiling studies have been performed using less than 10% of the predicted suite of genes in human or mouse genomes. Even within the confines of this limited set of genes, many insights and discoveries have resulted and their applications to cancer research are particularly profound. This review will focus on recent applications of gene expression profiling that have benefited three major areas of research in molecular oncology: (i) discovery--applications which have found novel genes, families of genes, or pathways involved in cell growth deregulation and tumor development; (ii) diagnosis--applications that have refined, and in some cases, defined, diagnostic methodology; and (iii) therapeutic design--applications which hold potential for chemotherapeutic drug discovery.