The ethics of animal genetic engineering, and controversies surrounding animal experimentation and welfare, are discussed in this book. Over 20 scientists, civil servants, biotechnology entrepreneurs, animal welfare campaigners and philosophers explore the various sides of the debate.

Long before scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland cloned Dolly the sheep in 1996, American developmental biologist and aspiring cancer researcher Robert Briggs successfully performed the technique of nuclear transplantation by cloning frog nuclei in 1952. Although the history of cloning is often associated with contemporary ethical controversies, The Forgotten Clones revisits the influential work of scientists like Briggs, Thomas King, and Marie DiBerardino, before the possibility of human cloning and its ethical implications first registered as a concern in public consciousness, and when many thought the very idea of cloning was experimentally impossible. By focusing instead on new laboratory techniques and practices and their place in Anglo-American science and society in the mid-twentieth century, Nathan Crowe demonstrates how embryos constructed in the lab were only later reconstructed as ethical problems. His book illuminates the importance of the early history of cloning for the biosciences and their institutional, disciplinary, and intellectual contexts, as well as the changing relationship between science and society after the Second World War.

Sets the foundation for safer, more effective drug therapies

With this book as their guide, readers will discover how to apply our current understanding of the pharmacogenomics of drug transporters to advance their own drug discovery and development efforts. In particular, the book explains how new findings in the field now enable researchers to more accurately predict drug interactions and adverse drug reactions. Moreover, it sets the foundation for the development of drug therapies that are tailored to an individual patient's genetics.

"Pharmacogenomics of Human Drug Transporters" serves as a comprehensive guide to how transporters regulate the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs in the body as well as how an individual's genome affects those processes. The book's eighteen chapters have been authored by a team of leading pioneers in the field. Based on their own laboratory and clinical experience as well as a thorough review of the literature, these authors explore all facets of drug transporter pharmacogenomics, including: Individual drug transporters and transporter families and their clinical significancePrinciples of altered drug transport in drug-drug interactions, pharmacotherapy, and personalized medicineEmerging new technologies for rapid detection of genetic polymorphismsClinical aspects of genetic polymorphisms in major drug transporter genesFuture research directions of drug transporter pharmacogenomics and the prospect of individualized medicine

"Pharmacogenomics of Human Drug Transporters" opens the door to new drug discovery and development breakthroughs leading to safer and more effective customized drug therapies.The book is recommended for pharmaceutical scientists, biochemists, pharmacologists, clinicians, and genetics and genomics researchers.

This resource provides thorough coverage of pharmacogenetics and its impact on pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, and clinical practice. It opens with the basics of pharmacogenetics, including drug disposition and pharmacodynamics. The following section moves into specific disease areas, including cardiovascular, psychiatry, cancer, asthma/COPD, adverse drug reactions, transplantation, inflammatory bowel disease, and pain medication. Clinical practice and ethical issues make up the third section, with the fourth devoted to technologies like genotyping, genomics, and proteomics. In the fifth part, chapters discuss the impact of key regulatory issues on the pharmaceutical industry.

Few scientific developments have given rise to as much controversy as biotechnology. Numerous groups are united in their opposition, expressing concern over environmental and health risks, impacts on rural livelihoods, the economic dominance of multinational companies and the ethical implications of crossing species boundaries. Among the supporters of the technology are those that believe in its potential to enhance food security, further economic development, increase productivity and reduce environmental pressures. As a result, countries - and sectors within countries - find themselves at odds with each other while potential opportunities for development offered by the use of biotechnology are seized or missed, and related risks go unmanaged. This book, a unique interdisciplinary collection of perspectives from the developing world, examines the ongoing debate. Writing for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, leading experts address issues such as diffusion of technology, intellectual property rights, the Cartagena Protocol, impacts of international trade, capacity building and biotechnology research and regulation. With the most recent and relevant examples from around the world, Trading in Genes offers the reader a single-volume overview of the connections between biotechnology, trade and sustainability that is both wide-ranging and thorough

The early promise of genetic engineering triggered a host of social and political concerns. In Molecular Politics, Susan Wright draws on government records, archival materials, and a wide range of interviews to analyze how the American and British governments responded to these concerns and to the struggles among corporations, scientists, universities, trade unions, and public interest groups for control of this controversial technology. Advancing an original approach to the expression of power in policymaking, she provides the first comparative study of a crucial set of policy decisions and explores their implications for the political economy of contemporary science.

This book presents current research in the study of new technologies, developments and applications of microRNA and non-coding RNA. Topics include the role of microRNA and short interfering RNAs in plants; microRNAs, major affective disorders and suicidal behavior; microRNA in endoparasites; the functional roles of non-coding RNAs in glioma and their clinical implications; identifying miRNA function in innate immunity; and how multiple IsomiRs and diversity of miRNA sequences unveil evolutionary roles and functional relationships across animals.

Pluripotent cells of the early embryo originate all types of somatic cells and germ cells of adult organism. Pluripotent stems cell lines were derived from mammalian embryos and adult tissues using different techniques and from different sources. Despite different origin, all pluripotent stem cell lines demonstrate considerable similarity of the major biological properties. This book examines the fundamental mechanisms which regulate normal development of pluripotent cells into different lineages and are disrupted in cancer initiating cells. Analysis gene expression profiles, differentiation potentials and cell cycle of normal and mutant pluripotent stem cells provide new data to search molecular targets to eliminate malignant cells in tumours. In this book, the authors also aim to present a global picture of how extracellular signals, intracellular signal transduction pathways and transcriptional networks co-operate together to determine the cell fate of pluripotent stem cells. Practical, ethical and legal considerations that must be addressed before induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can realise their potential in the treatment of degenerative disease is discussed as well. Recent advancements in the cancer stem cell hypothesis are also summarised and the challenges associated with targeting resistant cancers in the context of stem cell microenvironments are presented.

* Six new chapters on vital topics of interest such as multilocus SNP genotyping (SNP chips), RNAi, ChIP-chip, and genomic tiling arrays* New edition responds to reviewers' and users' desire for greater coverage-now the most useful handbook on the market!* Practical, concise summary of everything about genomics and emerging technologies a busy physician or medical student should know* Covers concepts and techniques that are in use in medicine now, as well as those on the cutting-edge of science relevant to medicine, from bioinformatics to DNA diagnostics and proteomics*NEW: Includes chapter-end exercises, enhancing the utility of the new edition as a textbook*NEW: PowerPoint slides of images available at instructor website

Recent decades have seen tremendous changes in Latin America's agricultural sector, resulting from a broad program of liberalization instigated under pressure from the United States, the IMF, and the World Bank. Tariffs have been lifted, agricultural markets have been opened and privatized, land reform policies have been restricted or eliminated, and the perspective has shifted radically toward exportation rather than toward the goal of feeding local citizens. Examining the impact of these transformations, the contributors to Food for the Few: Neoliberal Globalism and Biotechnology in Latin America paint a somber portrait, describing local peasant farmers who have been made responsible for protecting impossibly vast areas of biodiversity, or are forced to specialize in one genetically modified crop, or who become low-wage workers within a capitalized farm complex. Using dozens of examples such as these, the deleterious consequences are surveyed from the perspectives of experts in diverse fields, including anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and sociology.

From Kathy McAfee's "Exporting Crop Biotechnology: The Myth of Molecular Miracles," to Liz Fitting's "Importing Corn, Exporting Labor: The Neoliberal Corn Regime, GMOs, and the Erosion of Mexican Biodiversity," Food for the Few balances disturbing findings with hopeful assessments of emerging grassroots alternatives. Surveying not only the Latin American conditions that led to bankruptcy for countless farmers but also the North's practices, such as the heavy subsidies implemented to protect North American farmers, these essays represent a comprehensive, keenly informed response to a pivotal global crisis.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a chemical found primarily in the nucleus of cells. DNA is a long, spiralling molecule that orchestrates the cell's daily operations and provides the genetic blueprint for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. It is the molecule that encodes genetic information in the nucleus of cells. It determines the structure, function and behaviour of the cell. DNA is made up of two complementary strands, the strands intertwine like a spiral staircase to form a structure called a double helix. Subunits, called bases, are the rungs of the staircase. The four nucleotides in DNA contain the bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). This volume presents the latest research from around the world.

Potato is the most significant non-cereal crop. Much attention has been paid to this commercially important crop. The aim of this volume is to capture the recent advances made in improving potatoes using traditional breeding methods as well as genetic engineering technology. The book provides a critical appraisal of the state-of-the-art finding on this crop.

This book is about an issue of our times which does not yet get the attention that it deserves - the growing dominance of huge transnational corporations over every aspect of our lives from executive super-pay to private sector pension funds. The authors of this book look at one particular kind of modern corporation - the hi-tech agro-chemical and genetic engineering companies that now dominate the food chain. In this richly detailed account, they show how a handful of companies have: - Accelerated the industrialization of agriculture and the integration of the global economy in order to gain an alarming control over the food chain. - Penetrated the previously independent world of scholarly research both in universities and the specialized international agricultural research centres in CGIAR. - Manipulated public opinion, including distorting our understanding of key environmental processes and issues. - Unduly influenced regulatory agencies and national governments. - Turned international bodies like the WTO, the World Bank, and the FAO into instruments devising rules and policies primarily of benefit to corporate growth and corporate profit. - And now are further expanding by bullying the governments and farmers of the developing countries to accept their technologies and products. Whether you are interested in the environment, democracy, or the development of countries in the South, the information and analysis contained in this book will prove both disturbing and empowering.

Eat Your Genes describes the genetic engineering techniques used in agriculture. It explores the food industry's commercial motivations, why certain crop modifications have predominated, and the importance of patenting to the genetic engineering enterprise. This book explains how crop segregation and labelling are central to the debate, and outlines the development of consumer resistance to the marketing of GM food in Europe. The potential health and ecological risks, the ethical issues, and the implications for both industrialized and developing countries are examined. The author argues that genetic engineering is still a long way from meeting its promises of feeding the world's hungry and contributing to a more eco-friendly agriculture. As the public debate over the desirability of GM food continues, this is the book to help you think through what is involved.

Food makes philosophers of us all. Death does the same . . . but death comes only once . . . and choices about food come many times each day. In The Ethics of Food, Gregory E. Pence brings together a collection of voices who share the view that the ethics of genetically modified food is among the most pressing societal questions of our time. This comprehensive collection addresses a broad range of subjects, including the meaning of food, moral analyses of vegetarianism and starvation, the safety and environmental risks of genetically modified food, issues of global food politics and the food industry, and the relationships among food, evolution, and human history. Will genetically modified food feed the poor or destroy the environment? Is it a threat to our health? Is the assumed healthfulness of organic food a myth or a reality? The answers to these and other questions are engagingly pursued in this substantive collection, the first of its kind to address the broad range of philosophical, sociological, political, scientific, and technological issues surrounding the ethics of food.

Cloning is one of the most hotly debated issues to have hit the world news in years. The first book of its kind. Flesh of My Flesh is a collection of articles by today's most-respected scientists, philosophers, bioethicists, theologians, and law professors about whether we should allow human cloning. The book includes historical pieces to provide background for the current debate. Religious, philosophical, and legal points of view are all represented. Flesh of My Flesh offers a fascinating and comprehensive look at this important and complex issue.

One of the biggest challenges faced in medical research had been to create accurate and relevant models of human disease. A number of good animal models have been developed to understand the pathophysiology. However, not all of them reflect the human disorder, a classic case being Usher's syndrome where the mutant mice do not have the same visual and auditory defects that patients face. There are others which have been even more difficult to model due to the multi-factorial nature of the condition and due to lack of discovery of a single causative gene such as age-related macular degeneration or Alzheimer's syndrome. Thus a more relevant and accurate system will allow us to make better predictions on relevant therapeutic approaches. The discovery of human pluripotent stem cells in 1998 followed by the technological advances to reprogram somatic cells to pluripotent-stem cell-like cells in 2006 has completely revolutionized the way we can now think about modelling human development and disease. This now coupled with genome editing technologies such as TALENS and CRISPRs have now set us up to develop in vitro models both 2D as well as 3D organoids, which can more precisely reflect the disease in the patients. These combinatorial technologies are already providing us with better tools and therapeutics in drug discovery or gene therapy. This book summarizes both the technological advances in the field of generation of patient specific lines as well as various gene editing approaches followed by its applicability in various systems. The book will serve as a reference for the current state of the field as it: -Provides a comprehensive overview of the status of the field of patients derived induced pluripotent stem cells. -Describes the use of cardiac cells as a main featured component within the book. -Examines drug toxicity analysis as a working example throughout the book.

Applied Molecular Biotechnology: The Next Generation of Genetic Engineering explains state-of-the-art advances in the rapidly developing area of molecular biotechnology, the technology of the new millennium. Comprised of chapters authored by leading experts in their respective fields, this authoritative reference text: Highlights the latest omics-based tools and approaches used in modern biotechnology Explains how various molecular biology technologies can be used to develop transgenic plants and how those plants can meet growing food and plant-derived product demands Discusses chloroplast gene expression systems, mitochondrial omics, plant functional genomics, and whole-genome resequencing for crop improvement Explores plant-microbe and plant-insect interactions affecting plant protection and productivity Covers animal models, pharmacogenomics, human tissue banking, and the molecular diagnosis of diseases such as cervical cancer, obesity, and diabetes Examines the molecular aspects of viral diseases, production of industrial commodities using viral biotechnology, and biotechnological uses of magnetic nanoparticles Describes the use of biotechnology in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental conservation, and renewable energy sectors Applied Molecular Biotechnology: The Next Generation of Genetic Engineering serves as a springboard for new discoveries in molecular biology and its applications. Thus, this book is an invaluable resource for students and researchers of molecular biotechnology.

This book develops a rational design and systematic approach to construct a gene network with desired behaviors. In order to achieve this goal, the registry of standard biological parts and experimental techniques are introduced at first. Then these biological components are characterized by a standard modeling method and collected in the component libraries, which can be efficiently reused in engineering synthetic gene networks. Based on the system theory, some design specifications are provided to engineer the synthetic gene networks to robustly track the desired trajectory by employing the component libraries.

Geno-technology is a technology unlike any other, with significant implications for life in the 21st century. It directly affects us at a deeply personal level, it poses a threat to the boundaries which conventionally define selfhood, it generates potentially novel risks and dangers, and it threatens the very basis of accepted understandings of culture and society. This unique, exploratory volume discusses the ethical, cultural and philosophical issues surrounding the search for the 'book of life', focusing on the mapping of the human genome in Britain, the USA and Europe. It examines the impact of genetically modified crops, food and pharmacogenomics, along with the science and technology policy issues deriving from the human genome project. The authors investigate the potential risks and implications of the new genetics and conclude with a discussion of how nature may be reconfigured to underpin developments in health, commerce, state regulation and the law, both on a local and global scale.

'Transgenic Crop Protection' explores chiefly scientific issues regarding the development of pest and disease resistant crops using genes transferred from other sources. One paper looks at the impact of transgenic crops on non-target species and the final two papers discuss the social implications of this science.

Genetic Engineering: A Primer presents the growing field of biotechnology to non-science majors and other general interest readers. The author examines the natural forces that change genetic information and the ways in which scientists have learned to engineer these genetic changes. With a wealth of information flooding the popular press, including news and controversy surrounding cloning, Genetic Engineering is a timely volume that provides background information to the reader intent on understanding this fascinating development.

They mastermind our lives, shaping our features, our health, and our behavior, even in the sacrosanct realms of love and sex, religion, aging, and death. Yet we are the ones who house, perpetuate, and give the promise of immortality to these biological agents, our genetic gods. The link between genes and gods is hardly arbitrary, as the distinguished evolutionary geneticist John Avise reveals in this compelling book. In clear, straightforward terms, Avise reviews recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and human genetic engineering, and discusses the relevance of these findings to issues of ultimate concern traditionally reserved for mythology, theology, and religious faith. The book explains how the genetic gods figure in our development--not just our metabolism and physiology, but even our emotional disposition, personality, ethical leanings, and, indeed, religiosity. Yet genes are physical rather than metaphysical entities. Having arisen via an amoral evolutionary process--natural selection--genes have no consciousness, no sentient code of conduct, no reflective concern about the consequences of their actions. It is Avise's contention that current genetic knowledge can inform our attempts to answer typically religious questions--about origins, fate, and meaning. The Genetic Gods challenges us to make the necessary connection between what we know, what we believe, and what we embody.

Separating fact from fiction, this book explains why and how genetically modified (GM) crops can help combat poverty, starvation, and disease in the developing world in a safe and responsible way. Explained are the differences and similarities between genetic modification, conventional plant breeding, and natural processes such as crosspollination and mutations. Controversial issues such as patents, labeling, regulations and controls, and food safety for GM crops and organically grown food are addressed. Additional information on horizontal gene transfer and testing for allergens is also provided.

Sustaining the new bioeconomy requires a global biotechnology governance regime to bring a large number of developing countries into the global trading system. Failure to do so will create a "genetic divide" among countries and is likely to intensify public opposition to biotechnology. This unique interdisciplinary collection of perspectives from the developing world on the debates over the relationships between biotechnology, biosafety, sustainable development and trade seeks to bridge the gap between the different areas of regulatory activities and academic research, and between the various stakeholders in the debate. Leading experts, writing for the influential International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, examine: the risks and opportunities of biotechnology; biosafety; intellectual property rights and related issues of access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and traditional knowledge; biotechnological development; capacity building; the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; relevant WTO provisions; and developing countries' options in the WTO context.