Dr Christopher N Hahn, PhDSA Pathology Department of Genetics and Molecular Pathology Frome Rd, Adelaide.Molecular Pathology Research Laboratory: All disease processes in humans have a genetic component, either inherited or acquired by somatic mutation during cell division. It is important to identify genes and mutations that cause disease, predispose families to diseases, or are acquired during disease progression as these are important diagnostic and prognostic markers. They also provide direct targets and biological pathways for therapeutic intervention.We are interested in how and why genetic mutations occur, how these changes cause diseases or disease predisposition such as cancer and autoimmunity, and ways of better treating and monitoring these diseases. Our model diseases are typically, blood cell diseases, such as leukaemias, lymphomas and autoimmunity (such as arthritis). We also work on rare or orphan diseases with unmet clinical needs, such as genetic diagnoses for family planning.Our department is co-located with the ACRF Cancer Genomics Facility, which provides access to powerful cutting edge genetic/genomic technologies including bioinformatics, next-generation sequencing and sample preparation robotics. The Department performs both basic and translational research, which includes implementing these new technologies into its diagnostic tests for personalized medicine.