This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. A common tool in both research and agriculture, genetic engineering involves the direct manipulation of genes. Today's areas of medical research include genetic engineering to produce vaccines against disease, pharmaceutical development, and the treatment of disease. In agriculture, genetic engineering is used to modify crops and domestic animals to increase their yields, aid in production, and enhance nutritive aspects. This important book covers new research and studies in genetic engineering in the areas of medicine and agriculture.

Documents and critically analyses the photographs that helped strengthen as well as bring down the Eugenics Movement. Using a large body of racial-type images and a variety of historical and archival sources, and concentrating mainly on developments in Britain, the USA and Nazi Germany, the author argues that photography, as the most powerful visual medium of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was vital to the Eugenics Movement's success -- not only did it allow eugenicists to identify the people with superior and inferior hereditary traits, but it helped publicise and lend scientific authority to eugenicists' racial theories. The author further argues for a strong connection between the racial-type photographs that eugenicists created and the photographic images produced by nineteenth-century anthropologists and prison authorities, and that the photographic works of contemporary liberal anthropologists played a significant role in the Eugenics Movement's downfall. Besides adding to our knowledge of photography's crucial role in helping to authorise and implement some of the most controversial social policies of modern times, this book makes a major contribution to our understanding of the history of racism. Most accounts of eugenics have been written by history of science scholars, with an emphasis on the history of science and medicine. In contrast, "Picture Imperfect" looks at eugenics from the standpoint of its most significant cultural data -- racial-type photography, investigating the techniques, media forms, and styles of photography used by eugenicists, and relating these to their racial theories and their social policies and goals. Indeed, the visual archive was crucially constitutive of eugenic racial science because it helped make many of its concepts appear both intuitive as well as scientifically legitimate. Discussion of the history of the eugenics movement encompasses a wide narrative, including Nazi history, US politics, criminology and prison studies, and propaganda.

This volume contains pedagogical and elementary introductions to genetics for mathematicians and physicists as well as to mathematical models and techniques of population dynamics. It also offers a physicist's perspective on modeling biological processes.

Each chapter starts with an overview followed by the recent results obtained by authors. Lectures are self-contained and are devoted to various phenomena such as the evolution of the genetic code and genomes, age-structured populations, demography, sympatric speciation, the Penna model, LotkaVolterra and other predator-prey models, evolutionary models of ecosystems, extinctions of species, and the origin and development of language. Authors analyze their models from the computational and mathematical points of view.

Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into all types of cells within the body, thus have great therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine to treat complicated disorders, like Parkinson s disease and spinal cord injury. There will also be many applications in drug development. However, several roadblocks, such as safety issues and low efficiency of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) line derivation need to be resolved before their clinical application. This thesis focuses on these two areas, so as to find methods to overcome the limitation. It covers deriving embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from several different species and reports an efficient system to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and the first iPSC mice in the world. The results in this thesis confirm that somatic cells can be fully reprogrammed with the four Yamanaka factors. In addition, we have found that the Dlk1-Dio3 region can be a potential molecular marker to distinguish the fully reprogrammed iPSCs from partially reprogrammed ones. All of these results will help improve the safety of PSCs in the clinical applications and increase the current low induction efficiency of their production."

This volume explores the conceptual framework and the practical issues related to genomic prediction of complex traits in human medicine and in animal and plant breeding. The book is organized into five parts. Part One reminds molecular genetics approaches intending to predict phenotypic variations. Part Two presents the principles of genomic prediction of complex traits, and reviews factors that affect its reliability. Part Three describes genomic prediction methods, including machine-learning approaches, accounting for different degree of biological complexity, and reviews the associated computer-packages. Part Four reports on emerging trends such as phenomic prediction and incorporation into genomic prediction models of "omics" data and crop growth models. Part Five is dedicated to lessons learned from cases studies in the fields of human health and animal and plant breeding, and to methods for analysis of the economic effectiveness of genomic prediction. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, the book provides theoretical bases and practical guidelines for an informed decision making of practitioners and identifies pertinent routes for further methodological researches. Cutting-edge and thorough, Complex Trait Predictions: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for scientists and researchers who are interested in learning more about this important and developing field. Chapters 3, 9, 13, 14, and 21 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

In 1865, Gregor Mendel presented \u201cExperiments in Plant-Hybridization,\u201d the results of his eight-year study of the principles of inheritance through experimentation with pea plants. Overlooked in its day, Mendel's work would later become the foundation of modern genetics. Did his pioneering research follow the rigors of real scientific inquiry, or was Mendel's data too good to be true-the product of doctored statistics? In Ending the Mendel-Fisher Controversy, leading experts present their conclusions on the legendary controversy surrounding the challenge to Mendel's findings by British statistician and biologist R. A. Fisher. In his 1936 paper \u201cHas Mendel's Work Been Rediscovered?\u201d Fisher suggested that Mendel's data could have been falsified in order to support his expectations. Fisher attributed the falsification to an unknown assistant of Mendel's. At the time, Fisher's criticism did not receive wide attention. Yet beginning in 1964, about the time of the centenary of Mendel's paper, scholars began to publicly discuss whether Fisher had successfully proven that Mendel's data was falsified. Since that time, numerous articles, letters, and comments have been published on the controversy. This self-contained volume includes everything the reader will need to know about the subject: an overview of the controversy; the original papers of Mendel and Fisher; four of the most important papers on the debate; and new updates, by the authors, of the latter four papers. Taken together, the authors contend, these voices argue for an end to the controversy-making this book the definitive last word on the subject.

The availability of molecular imaging and measurement systems enables today's biologists to swiftly monitor thousands of genes involved in a host of diseases, a critical factor in specialized drug development. Systems Biology and Bioinformatics: A Computational Approach provides students with a comprehensive collection of the computational methods used in what is being coined the digital era of biology. Written by field experts with proven track records, this authoritative textbook first provides an introduction to systems biology and its impact on biology and medicine. The book then reviews the basic principles of molecular and cell biology using a system-oriented approach, with a brief description of the high-throughput biological experiments that produce databases. The text includes techniques to discover genes, perform nucleotide and amino acid sequence matching, and estimate static gene dynamic pathways. The book also explains how to use system-oriented models to predict the behavior of biological systems for important applications such as rational drug design. The numerous examples and problem sets allow students to confidently explore practical systems biology applications using real examples with real biological data, making Systems Biology and Bioinformatics: A Computational Approach an ideal text for senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students.

This is the first book to give a full overview on genome integrity in different species. From microorganisms to humans, this volume provides an interdisciplinary overview of how genome integrity is maintained. Written by an international panel of experts, the book addresses the connection between genome integrity and human disease.

Thoroughly Describes Biological Applications, Computational Problems, and Various Algorithmic Solutions Developed from the author's own teaching material, Algorithms in Bioinformatics: A Practical Introduction provides an in-depth introduction to the algorithmic techniques applied in bioinformatics. For each topic, the author clearly details the biological motivation and precisely defines the corresponding computational problems. He also includes detailed examples to illustrate each algorithm and end-of-chapter exercises for students to familiarize themselves with the topics. Supplementary material is available at http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~ksung/algo_in_bioinfo/ This classroom-tested textbook begins with basic molecular biology concepts. It then describes ways to measure sequence similarity, presents simple applications of the suffix tree, and discusses the problem of searching sequence databases. After introducing methods for aligning multiple biological sequences and genomes, the text explores applications of the phylogenetic tree, methods for comparing phylogenetic trees, the problem of genome rearrangement, and the problem of motif finding. It also covers methods for predicting the secondary structure of RNA and for reconstructing the peptide sequence using mass spectrometry. The final chapter examines the computational problem related to population genetics.

The Handbook provides an essential resource at the interface of Genomics, Health and Society, and forms a crucial research tool for both new students and established scholars across biomedicine and social sciences. Building from and extending the first Routledge Handbook of Genetics and Society, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to pivotal themes within the field, an overview of the current state of the art knowledge on genomics, science and society, and an outline of emerging areas of research. Key themes addressed include the way genomic based DNA technologies have become incorporated into diverse arenas of clinical practice and research whilst also extending beyond the clinic; the role of genomics in contemporary 'bioeconomies'; how challenges in the governance of medical genomics can both reconfigure and stabilise regulatory processes and jurisdictional boundaries; how questions of diversity and justice are situated across different national and transnational terrains of genomic research; and how genomics informs - and is shaped by - developments in fields such as epigenetics, synthetic biology, stem cell, microbial and animal model research. Chapter 13 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315451695-13 Chapter 28 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315451695-28

This volume covers a wide range of various fields of research, with the common thread being Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) related methods and applications, as well as analysis and interpretation of the data obtained. Chapters guide readers through the highly dynamic processes of translational and transcriptional profiling of a cell, method to detect copy number alterations (CNAs), targeted sequencing applications, method called "Hi-Plex" to characterize known polymorphic loci, single-cell of DNA or RNA, identify and characterize rare circulating CD4 T cells, and computational pipeline for RNAseq analysis. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Next Generation Sequencing: Methods and Protocols aims to be useful and informative for further study into this vital field.

This volume contains papers presented at the 19th International Conference on Genome Informatics (GIW 2008) held at the Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from December 1 to 3, 2008. The GIW Series provides an international forum for the presentation and discussion of original research papers on all aspects of bioinformatics, computational biology and systems biology. Its scope includes biological sequence analysis, protein structure prediction, genetic regulatory networks, bioinformatic algorithms, comparative genomics, and biomolecular data integration and analysis. Boasting a history of 19 years, GIW is the longest-running international bioinformatics conference.

A total of 18 contributed papers were selected for presentation at GIW 2008 and for inclusion in this book. The selected papers come from institutions in 18 countries. In addition, this book contains abstracts from the six invited speakers: Sean Grimmond (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia), Eugene V Koonin (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, USA), Ming Li (University of Waterloo, Canada), Yi-Xue Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiaotong University, China), John Mattick (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia), and Eric Schadt (Rosetta Inpharmatics, USA).

Phylogenomics: A Primer, Second Edition is for advanced undergraduate and graduate biology students studying molecular biology, comparative biology, evolution, genomics, and biodiversity. This book explains the essential concepts underlying the storage and manipulation of genomics level data, construction of phylogenetic trees, population genetics, natural selection, the tree of life, DNA barcoding, and metagenomics. The inclusion of problem-solving exercises in each chapter provides students with a solid grasp of the important molecular and evolutionary questions facing modern biologists as well as the tools needed to answer them.

The maintenance of telomeres-repetitive sequences at the end of chromosome-is essential to health. Dysfunction in telomere maintenance pathways plays a role in aging, cancer, atherosclerosis and other diseases. This has led to telomere maintenance as a prime target for patient therapies. This book describes the advances in telomere research as it applies to human health and especially how lifestyle and dietary factors could modify the telomerase maintenance process. The book examines the mechanisms involved, the primary of which are oxidative stress and the role of sirtuins, and how they can be modified by dietary patterns such as Mediterranean diet.

This important volume provides a basic understanding of the different forms of intellectual property rights in agricultural science. It provides an abundance of information on the use of IP laws in agriculture and allied subjects and their proper implementation in real-life practice. The chapter authors discuss different kinds of IP laws and their current status in developed as well as developing countries throughout the world. The protection of biological resources is crucial for food security for future generations. Biological resources are the source of several important genes. Researchers are interested in the development of plant varieties that can increase crop production, withstand dramatic climatic changes, etc. Protecting intellectual property rights in plant varieties and the rights of farmers and others are discussed in this volume. It also looks at new trends and developments in the field involving new IP strategies and the application of IP laws in agriculture and biotechnology and in the management of plant genetic resources.

This volume contains 25 peer-reviewed papers based on the presentations at the 8th Annual International Workshop on Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (IBSB 2008) held at the Teikyo Hotel, Zeuten Lake, near Berlin, from June 9 to June 10, 2008. This workshop started in 2001 as an event for doctoral students and young researchers to present and discuss their research results and approaches in bioinformatics and systems biology. It is part of a collaborative educational program involving leading institutions and leaders committed to the following programs and partner institutions:

Boston (Gary Benson) Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University

Berlin (Herman-Georg Holzhtter) The International Research Training Group (IRTG) "Genomics and Systems Biology of Molecular Networks"

Kyoto/Tokyo (Minoru Kanehisa/Satoru Miyano) Joint Bioinformatics Education Program of Kyoto University and University of Tokyo.

In recent years, the discovery of functional small RNAs has brought about an unprecedented revolution within the field of molecular biology. This volume describes strategies for the discovery and validation of small RNAs. It provides a snapshot of our current understanding of the different mechanisms triggered by small RNAs and the variations encountered in different organisms.

When examined carefully at the molecular level, the chromosome turns out to have created its own private world full of tricks, back door exits and novel solutions. This "folly" makes it an untamed innovator. Geneticists have been bewildered for decades. What kind of creature was actually the chromosome? Was it plastic, changing by innumerous rearrangements and mutations all the time; or was it a rigid structure which has preserved its basic organisation and functions since the dawn of the cell? It is this conflicting state that seems to be at the base of its "folly". Perplexed by this behavior, cell biologists have called it a junkyard and even the ultimate parasite. Moreover, the chromosome has been regarded as a passive cell organelle prone to random mutations and subjected to the mercy of selection.The latest molecular information discloses a radically different picture in which the chromosome appears as an independent molecular structure that follows its own path. It does not obey gravity, randomness, selection or magnetism.By anchoring the chromosome's contradictory behavior on molecular processes directed by atomic self-assembly, Lima-de-Faria expands a novel view of the chromosome with unexpected implications for genetics, evolution and physics.This timely book contains the latest information on the molecular organization of the chromosome. The information is original and is presented in an unorthodox way, while carefully chosen elucidating and attractive figures serve to add clarity to the subject treated. Thus, the book will add greatly to the general debate on the evolution of living organisms, and will be of particular interest to those in the biotechnological field.

The book on Trends in Quorum Sensing and Quorum Quenching: New Perspectives and Applications focuses on the recent advances in the field of quorum sensing in bacteria and the novel strategies developed for quorum sensing inhibition. The topics covered are multidisciplinary and wide-ranging,and includes quorum sensing phenomenon in pathogenic bacteria, food spoilers, and agriculturally relevant bacteria. The applications of quorum sensing inhibitors such as small molecules, bioactives, natural compounds, and quorum quenching enzymes in controlling bacterial infections in clinical settings, agriculture and aquaculture are discussed. The potential use of quorum quenching enzymes for mitigating biofouling is also covered. Special focus is given to exploring quorum sensing inhibitors from microbes and flora inhabiting biodiversity rich regions including tropical rain forests and marine environments. Key features: Covers the fundamental aspects, the progress and challenges in the field of quorum sensing and quorum quenching Reviews quorum sensing in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria of clinical, agricultural, and industrial relevance Discusses the application and future trends of quorum sensing inhibitors from lab to clinical and environmental settings Provides comprehensive coverage on molecular mechanisms in bacterial signaling

Animal Cell Technology will provide an insight into biological and engineering concepts related to mammalian and insect cell technology, as well as provide an overview of the applications of animal cell technology. The interest in this area of science has grown significantly in recent years so this book will be suitable for undergraduates who wish to learn from the basics upwards, and for postgraduates and scientists in the expanding biopharmaceutical industry who wish to build upon their existing knowledge base. The authors of the chapters are leaders of internationally-recognized animal cell culture research and have extensive experience in the areas covered in their respective chapters.

From the mid 1990s to the present day, agricultural biotechnology - GM crops and foods - has been the focus of debate and conflict in many European countries. Contrasting views of risks and benefits, trust in science and regulation, the understanding of science, media coverage and mobilization of the public by civil society groups - all have been cited as drivers of public opinion. Designed in part to allay public concerns about GM agriculture, a European moratorium led to a new regulatory framework. The long running controversy is a signal that the public's view cannot be ignored in the development and implementation of new technologies arising out of genomics. Yet, agricultural biotechnologies are but one development in this area. Genetic testing and the uses of genetic information, the cloning of human cells and tissues, and transgenic animals are potentially no less challenging for the public and regulators alike. This volume, by an international group of social scientists from Europe, North America and Japan, presents a series of comparative perspectives on the social, ethical and legal implications of genomics. The aim is to capture lessons from the controversies of the 1990s and to raise the level of debate on the societal implications of new developments in genomics.

Comparative Genomics and Proteomics in Drug Discovery gives an overview of how emerging genomic and proteomic technologies are making significant contributions to global drug discovery programs, and in particular the key role that comparative genomics and proteomics play within this strategy. Each chapter is written by respected authorities, with hands-on experience, from both academic and pharmaceutical backgrounds.

From an evolutionary perspective, individuals have a vi- tal interest in the reproduction of their genes. Yet this interest is overlooked by social and political theory at a time when we need to steer an adaptive course through the unnatural modern world of uneven population growth and decline, global mobility, and loss of family and communal ties. In modern Darwinian theory, bearing children is only one way to reproduce. Since we share genes with our families, ethnic groups, and the species as a whole, ethnocentrism and humanism can be adaptive. They can also be hazardous when taken to extremes. "On Genetic Interests" canvasses strategies and ethics for conserving our genetic interests in an environmentally sustainable manner sensitive to the interests of others.

" This] is a fresh and deep contribution to the sociobiology of humans, combining genetics with social science in original ways."--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University

"The book greatly expands Hamiltonian kin selection' by making ethnies in control of territory the central arena of selfish genery' in a modern world of mass migration."--Pierre van den Berghe, University of Washington, Seattle

"Salter argues that all humans have a vital interest in genetic continuity that is threatened by mass migration. Salter advocates non-aggressive universal nationalism' as part of a balanced fitness portfolio' that includes investments in three levels of genetic interests--family, ethny, and the species as a whole. The synthesis is persuasive; the policy formulations provocative."--Irenus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Max Planck Society

"Five stars for Salter--he has provided us with a deep and compelling explanation of what most people know and what guides much of their behavior, but fear to acknowledge publicly."--Michael T. McGuire, UCLA

"We are indeed all part of each other, as John Donne insisted even before the help of evolutionary genetics. But we are more part of some than others, and the nature of these boundaries of ethnic kinship has been ignored, avoided or denied. After Salter's virtuoso synthesis we can no longer duck these issues which become more important daily."--Robin Fox, Rutgers University
"Frank Salter" is an Australian political scientist who has been a researcher with the Max Planck Society, Andechs, Germany, since 1991.

"A Companion to Genethics" is the first substantial study of the multifaceted dimensions of the genetic revolution and its philosophical, ethical, social and political significance.
Brings together the best and most influential writing about the ethics of genetics;
Includes 33 newly-commissioned essays, all written by prominent figures in the field;
Shows how there is scarcely a part of our lives left unaffected by the impact of the new genetics.

In September of 2007 Gaucher Disease received a commendation in the Haematology category of the 2007 British Medical Association Medical Book Competition! Although rare in the general population, Gaucher disease is the most prevalent of the lysosomal storage disorders, making research into this particular orphan disorder an invaluable prototype for the diagnosis, research, and treatment of others. Like many rare conditions, Gaucher disease has benefited from the explosion of medical research in the last decade, the amount of new information on this disease is staggering and the rate of new discoveries has left previous books on the subject unable to provide useful, up-to-date information. The most current, fully comprehensive reference to date, Gaucher Disease provides valuable information for academic and industry scientists, and clinicians. Outlining the latest research on the biochemical mechanisms and pathology of lysosomal storage disorders, this book covers diverse topics including animal models, crystallography, imaging and radionuclide evaluation. It not only addresses the developmental basis for current treatments like the now widely available enzyme replacement therapy, but also includes chapters introducing new therapies on the horizon. With contributions from world-renowned experts in substrate reduction therapy, pharmaceutical chaperone therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy, as well as chapters on a second generation of enzyme replacement therapy, this book explores the full spectrum of possibilities offered by the most recent advances in medicine. Some of the most interesting aspects of the book include the discussions on patient management, those touching on the ethics of research, and the societal aspects of treating rare diseases with expensive therapy.