[Clinical biochemistry and laboratory medicine in the 21st century]

The author gives an outline of the assumed development of clinical biochemical examinations in future decades based on the development during the past 40 years. The development of biochemical analyzers will probably mean more perfect robotization; the increase in capacity (number of tests performed per hour) probably will not result from more rapid individual analyses (the rate of 900 tests/hour is probably optimal) but the capacity will be increased by doubling and trebling of critical elements (photometry or technique of measurements, pipetting etc.). Probably the volume of blood samples will not be reduces (to less than 1-2 microliters); however, amplification techniques will be used far more (as at present the polymerase chain reaction and others (for replication of cellular substances such as DNA). There will be a shift and greater use of "in vivo" techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy and examinations using biosensors (because of the possibility and in particular expedience of examining some analytes continuously). The examined spectrum will be extended by further substances (in particular those with a short-term existence such as e.g. cytokines, selectins, adhesive molecules etc.; manifestations of circadian dynamics will be followed up much more e.g. in tumours, or chronopharmacokinetics of some drugs. A great development may be foreseen in the sphere of the use of computer technique for evaluation and communication of laboratory data and other data on the patient. For consultations global (or at least regional) computer networks will be much more widely used.