Classical pathology focuses mainly on the diagnosis and the status of disease.
Its resources are the microscopic examination of cells and tissues, and the utilization of clinical laboratory methodologies, such as chemical, molecular, immunological and microbiological analyses of body fluids or tissue biopsies. In contrast, contemporary experimental pathology is concerned with the laboratory investigation of disease mechanisms. Experimental pathologists apply methods of cellular and molecular biology to study interactions of etiologic agents with cellular macromolecules. They are also interested in how these interactions lead to the expression of disease at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organismic levels. To the interested student, training in experimental pathology provides the biological background and opportunity for development of basic research in areas at the forefront of medicine.