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.

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.

This two-volume textbook provides a comprehensive overview on the broad field of Animal Biotechnology with a special focus on livestock reproduction and breeding. The reader will be introduced to a variety of state-of-the-art technologies and emerging genetic tools and their applications in animal production. Also, ethics and legal aspects of animal biotechnology will be discussed and new trends and developments in the field will be critically assessed. The two-volume work is a must-have for graduate students, advanced undergraduates and researchers in the field of veterinary medicine, genetics and animal biotechnology. This first volume mainly focuses on artificial insemination, embryo transfer technologies in diverse animal species and cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos.

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.

A unique exploration of the principles and methods underlying the Human Genome Project and modern molecular genetics and biotechnology—from two top researchers

In Genomics, Charles R. Cantor, former director of the Human Genome Project, and Cassandra L. Smith give the first integral overview of the strategies and technologies behind the Human Genome Project and the field of molecular genetics and biotechnology. Written with a range of readers in mind—from chemists and biologists to computer scientists and engineers—the book begins with a review of the basic properties of DNA and the chromosomes that package it in cells. The authors describe the three main techniques used in DNA analysis—hybridization, polymerase chain reaction, and electrophoresis—and present a complete exploration of DNA mapping in its many different forms. By explaining both the theoretical principles and practical foundations of modern molecular genetics to a wide audience, the book brings the scientific community closer to the ultimate goal of understanding the biological function of DNA. Genomics features:

• Topical organization within chapters for easy reference
• A discussion of the developing methods of sequencing, such as sequencing by hybridization (SBH) in which data is read through words instead of letters
• Detailed explanations and critical evaluations of the many different types of DNA maps that can be generated—including cytogenic and restriction maps as well as interspecies cell hybrids
• Informed predictions for the future of DNA sequencing

Die Genetik ist eines der naturwissenschaftlichen Fachgebiete, deren Wissen am schnellsten wAchst und deren Erkenntnisse stAndig in Bewegung und in der Diskussion sind. "Genetik fA1/4r Dummies" erklArt, was A1/4berhaupt hinter diesem spannenden Thema steckt. Die Autorinnen Tara Rodden Robinson und Lisa J. Spock erklAren einfach und prAgnant die Grundlagen der Vererbungslehre, wie beispielsweise die Mendelschen Regeln und die Zellteilung. Sie zeigen auch, wie die DNA aufgebaut ist, wie sie kopiert und richtig in Proteine A1/4bersetzt wird. AuA erdem gehen sie auf die Bedeutung der Genetik in der Humanmedizin ein, wie Genmutationen entstehen und Erbkrankheiten zur Folge haben. Auch die heiA en Themen wie Gentechnik, Stammzellentherapie und der Einsatz der Genetik in der Rechtsmedizin kommen nicht zu kurz.

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.

This volume presents new research on messenger RNA (mRNA), the crucial mediating template between DNA and protein synthesis. In five chapters and several expert commentaries, international scientists examine major proteins involved in this transcription process, e.g., p38, a key proinflammatory-signaling molecule whose activity is being studied in order to develop inhibitors to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Experimental methods and findings are presented relating to the role of mRNA in other clinical applications and to its basic role in gene expression. Illustrations include mRNA pathways for specific genes, mRNA encoding of proteins, and phylogenetic analysis diagrams. The editor's credentials are not given.

This book has a distinguishing feature of having condensed material with adequate information on genetic engineering especially of the microbes. The book covers almost all the topics of genetic engineering for the graduate, postgraduate students and young research scholars of biological sciences. The book is written as per syllabus of genetic engineering paper for Masters course in biotechnology, biochemistry, life sciences of most of the universities. The book is much useful for the students of Masters degree. Emphasis is given on the basic fundamentals. The book contains twelve chapters starting from ' Isolation, purification and estimation of nucleic acids' as chapter 1. The chapter describes general techniques for the isolation and purification of DNA as well as RNA. It also describes methods for quantitative estimation of the nucleic acids. The second chapter describes general characteristics of the vectors used in genetic engineering and also the general account of commonly used individual vectors. The chapter also describes expression vectors. The third chapter describes various commonly used restriction endonucleases. The fourth chapter describes commonly used enzymes in genetic engineering viz. Reverse transcriptase, DNA polymerase I, polynucleotide kinase, teminal dcoxynucleotidyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, SI nuclease, DNA ligase etc. The fifth chapter describes electrophoresis for the separation of nucleic acids fragments. The sixth chapter is of cloning strategies. It describes construction of genomic DNA library , chromosomal walking, cDNA library, cDNA cloning. The seventh chapter describes DNA sequencing techniques and includes chemical modification method of Maxam and Gilbert, dideoxy sequencing method of Sanger, modifications of chain terminator sequencing, analysis of the sequencing data. The eighth chapter includes various methods of site directed mutagenesis. The ninth chapter describes polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It also includes primer designing and various types of polymerase chain reactions viz. reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), nested PCR, multiplex PCR etc. Besides, there are chapters 10, 11 and 12 on gene therapy, human genome and proteomics. At the end, glossary has been put which explains main terms used in genetic engineering. One of the important factor introduced in the book is the chapter structure given in the beginning of each chapter that provides, at a glance, the contents of the whole chapter which offers a better learning mechanism. Each chapter is also presented with an introduction that covers the concept of the whole chapter in brief and offers clear understanding of the subject matter to the students. The author on the basis of his experience in teaching genetic engineering at the university level for more than a decade has offered the text in an easily understandable form to the postgraduate students. The book should be of invaluable help to the students, researchers and all those interested in understanding genetic engineering.

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.

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into virtually any cell in the body, and may have the potential to treat medical conditions such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease. In August 2001, President Bush announced that for the first time federal funds would be used to support research on human embryonic stem cells, but funding would be limited to 'existing stem cell lines'. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry which lists stem cell lines that are eligible for use in federally funded research. Although 78 cell lines are listed, 21 embryonic stem cell lines are currently available. Scientists are concerned about the quality, longevity, and availability of the eligible stem cell lines. For a variety of reasons, many believe research advancement requires new embryonic stem cell lines, and for certain applications, stem cells derived from cloned embryos may offer the best hope for progress in understanding and treating disease. A significant cohort of pro-life advocates support stem cell research; those opposed are concerned that the isolation of stem cells requires the destruction of embryos. Letters from Congress, one signed by 206 Members of the House and a second signed by 58 Senators, have been sent urging President Bush to expand the current federal policy concerning embryonic stem cell research. Some have argued that stem cell research be limited to adult stem cells obtained from tissues such as bone marrow. They argue that adult stem cells should be pursued instead of embryonic stem cells because they believe the derivation of stem cells from either embryos or aborted foetuses is ethically unacceptable. Other scientists believe adult stem cells should not be the sole target of research because of important scientific and technical limitations. Groups make ethical distinctions in the debate on how to proceed with stem cell research based upon embryo protection, relief of suffering, viability, the purpose and timing of embryo creation and destruction, donor consent, scientific alternatives, federal funding, and cloning. Other countries are moving fast with active research programs. This book presents the current confused situation along with a selective bibliography.

The genetic engineering of food crops is an ecological hazard and health crisis that affects us all. Its consequences are global and potentially irrevocable. Yet the decision to use genetically modified organisms is currently being made for you by the government and major multinational corporations. To combat this practice, more than 600 scientists from 72 countries have called for a moratorium on the environmental release of GMOs. "GMO Free "is the most comprehensive resource available on the science behind this worldwide debate.

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GMO Free "takes a good look at the evidence scientists have compiled, and makes a powerful case for a worldwide ban on GMO crops, to make way for a shift to sustainable agriculture and organic farming. It s time to take the future of your food supply and environment into your own informed hands. "GMO Free "will give you the information you need to do so. "

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.

Providing the first account of the story behind genetically engineered plants, Paul F. Lurquin covers the controversial birth of the field, its sudden death, phoenixlike reemergence, and ultimate triumph as not only a legitimate field of science but a new tool of multinational corporate interests. In addition, Lurquin looks ahead to the potential impact this revolutionary technology will have on human welfare.

As Lurquin shows, it was the intense competition between international labs that resulted in the creation of the first transgenic plants. Two very different approaches to plant genetic engineering came to fruition at practically the same time, and Lurquin's account demonstrates how cross-fertilization between the two areas was critical to success. The scientists concerned were trying to tackle some very basic scientific problems and did not foresee the way that corporations would apply their methodology. With detailed accounts of the work of individual scientists and teams all over the world, Lurquin pieces together a remarkable account.

This title examines the impact of this potentially dangerous technology on food sources, animals, and our own bodies.

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.

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.

Gene Delivery: Methods and Applications provides a comprehensive overview on viral and non-viral methods used to genetically engineer human mesenchymal stromal cells. In addition, an update on ongoing and completed clinical studies with engineered mesenchymal stromal cells will be provided, as well as a snapshot of the advances and technical challenges yet to be addressed. Next, a variety of gene delivery systems including physical transfection techniques, virus-based delivery vectors, chemically engineered delivery systems and bio-inspired vehicles are reviewed and their strengths, shortcomings and biomedical applications are discussed. Selfish DNA called transposons capable of cutting out and pasting into the host genome are active throughout the phylogenetic kingdoms. Researchers have repurposed natural transposons for use in delivering a gene-of-interest, enabling for the study of a large and growing list of preclinical gene therapy applications. As such, the authors discuss the past achievements and future challenges of this early-stage technology. The closing chapter introduces cell-penetrating peptides as an efficient tool for DNA transfection. HR9, a designed cell-penetrating peptides, containing nona-arginine flanked by cysteine and penta-histidine displayed a high penetrating ability in mammalian cells.

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.