ABSTRACT
Ingeneral,theelucidationofthebiochemistryandgeneticsofbloodcellsandbloodcellmarkers hasbeeninadvanceofotherphysiologicalsystemsfortwopracticalreasons:accessibilityand medicalimportance.Abloodsampleisrelativelyeasytoobtain,andanalysisofitscomponents canbediagnosticofmanytypesofdiseasestates.Theuseofhematopoieticcellsandcell-specific markerstostudyhumaninvivosomaticmutationisalogicalextensionofthisconcept.Inthe lastfewyearswehavebeguntorealizethesignificanceofstablegeneticalterationsinsomatic cellsasimportantcontributorstosuchailmentsascancerandaging.Directdetectionand measurementoftheprocessesthatcollectivelycanbetermedsomaticsegregationmaybecome animportantprognostictoolintheclinicalevaluationofaffectedindividualsand,further,may pointthewaytowardabetterunderstandingandtreatmentofsuchdegenerativestates.
