Progress in molecular and cellular biology has greatly enhanced our ability to accurately diagnose diseases that are caused by gene mutations, changes in genome structures, and altered gene expression; increased emphasis is now placed on translational research the clinical treatment of these genetically determined diseases. Seeking Cures outlines the progress and implications of science's quest to identify therapeutic targets and initiate novel treatments at the gene, RNA, protein, and physiological levels. Also considered are aspects of treatment at the cellular level (e.g., those with hematopoietic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells). Topics covered in this text include: * outline of the processes typical for identifying disease-modifying therapies * examples of newer therapeutic approaches in use or under investigation to treat lysosomal storage diseases, inborn errors of metabolism, mitochondrial functional defects, and specific monogenic diseases * therapeutic designs for specific complex common diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and autism Through these specific examples, Seeking Cures provides a glimpse at the pursuit-and future-of personalized medicine.

This book presents clinical and research aspects of medicine and social dimensions of healthcare. It is designed for an audience with interest in health and societal factors. It is in part autobiographical, based on different phases of the author's life in medicine over 50 years, who revisited cases and problems encountered as she worked in different countries, including South Africa, Scotland, England and North America. Essays encompass aspects of clinical medicine and aspects of research, particularly in Genetics and Genomic Medicine. New information on the topic or disorder and current opinions and approaches to finding solutions are reviewed.

Unravelling Complexities in Genetics and Genomics: Impact on Diagnosis Counseling and Management reviews recent advances in defining genetic and genomic factors that play important roles in diseases in humans. It includes discussions on new technologies in DNA and RNA sequencing, genome analysis, and bioinformatics applied to the study of patients with specific disorders and to normal populations, and illustrates how modern molecular techniques can improve diagnoses and enable the design of specific targeted therapies and methods of prevention. Additional emphasis is placed on the genetic variants and genomic risk factors related to the development of complex common disorders, including neurobehavioral and neurocognitive disorders in children and adults and late onset disorders in adults, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders.Physicians, nurses, genetic counselors, graduate students in genetics and genomics will find this book a valuable read.

This book describes the growth of information on specific aspects of physiology and pathology of particular disorders and provides an analysis of the processes and contributions of pioneers to discovery. It begins primarily in the second half of the 19th century and explores specific contributions of researchers through to the 20th and 21st centuries. The book revisits specific aspects of physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology relevant to genetic medicine. In addition, it provides a review of specific human disorders that the author has encountered during her career, as well as an analysis of the progress in determining disease mechanisms and improving therapies.The chapters in this book provide insights into the processes of research and discovery, as well as how elucidation of disease mechanisms translates into research in diagnostics and treatments.The book provides historical information and current information obtained from recent journals and presentations, on each of the topics discussed.

During the past two decades international collaborative studies have yielded extensive information on genome sequences, genome architecture and their variations. The challenge we now face is to understand how these variations impact structure and function of organelles, physiological systems and phenotype. The goal of this book is to present steps in the pathways of exploration to connect genotype to phenotype and to consider how alterations in genomes impact disease.
In this book the author reviews published research in functional genomics carried out primarily since 2006 that sheds light on aspects of phenotypic variation. The goal of functional genomics is to gain insight into mechanisms through which specific changes in genome transcripts and regulation induce changes in proteins, pathways, organelles, cellular and tissue functions, morphology and ultimately in phenotype.
Topics reviewed include investigations in genome architecture, gene structure, gene regulation epigenetic modifications and function of organelles including mitochondria, and the endosome lysosome system. New insights into neurodevelopment and neurobehavioral disorders gained through functional genomic research are presented. Aspects of genomic studies in complex common diseases are reviewed. Molecular genetic variations and aberrations in cellular mechanisms involved in protein quality surveillance play a role in late onset diseases and one chapter deals with this topic. Molecular analyses of genes and proteins continue to shed light on the pathogenesis of malformation syndromes and specific examples of such studies are presented.
There is growing evidence that late onset disorders such as Parkinson disease, are frequently the end result of defects in functioning of components in different pathways and examples of these are discussed. There is evidence that genetic variation determines differences in response to environmental insults. Genetic variations in complement factor genes are an example of this and are discussed in the context of macular degeneration and pathogenesis of hemolytic uremic syndrome in response exposure to E coli Shiga toxin. In the final chapter the author briefly summarizes key features of the cascade of events that constitute functional genomics.

In this new book, noted geneticist and veteran OUP author, Moyra Smith, will present a comprehensive critical review of the translation of genetic and genomic research into health care. Dr. Smith's motivation for writing is driven by the gap that exists between the rather amazing discoveries in medical genetics and genomics at basic science levels and the translation of these advances into evidence-based clinical practice. She will examine experimental and observational research and translation to disease management in single gene disorders, specific genetic syndromes, and complex genetic diseases. She will also examine information technology in genetic medicine, sociocultural factors that impact provision of medical care, and medical education issues with regard to translational genetics in order to help prepare a work force that is better able to utilize evidence-based medicine and to accommodate the rapid changes in genetic and genomic health care.

Gene Environment Interactions: Nature and Nurture in the Twenty-first Century offers a rare, synergistic view of ongoing revelations in gene environment interaction studies, drawing together key themes from epigenetics, microbiomics, disease etiology, and toxicology to illuminate pathways for clinical translation and the paradigm shift towards precision medicine. Across eleven chapters, Dr. Smith discusses interactions with the environment, human adaptations to environmental stimuli, pathogen encounters across the centuries, epigenetic modulation of gene expression, transgenerational inheritance, the microbiome's intrinsic effects on human health, and the gene-environment etiology of cardiovascular, metabolic, psychiatric, behavioral and monogenic disorders. Later chapters illuminate how our new understanding of gene environment interactions are driving advances in precision medicine and novel treatments. In addition, the book's author shares strategies to support clinical translation of these scientific findings to improve heath literacy among the general population.

The Regulatory Genome in Adaptation, Evolution, Development, and Disease synthesizes insights from recent genomic and gene expression studies across organisms, from humans to plants, animals, and single cell life, exploring common roles gene regulation has played in adaptive evolution, as well as in developmental biology and susceptibility to disease. Here, Moyra Smith, a celebrated researcher in the field, sheds light on common themes in gene regulation across evolutionary timelines, illuminating new areas of focus and pathways for future research. Early chapters consider key elements in gene expression regulation, fundamentals of genomic alterations over time and in response to environmental and local conditions, and the role of epigenetics in adaptive evolution, with later chapters considering the role of adaptive gene regulation in healthy processes and developmental biology, as well as in disease biology. Throughout the book, a comparative approach is adopted across organisms, to highlight common evolutionary themes and genome diversity revealed by recent sequencing and GWAS studies, as well as how this informs our understanding of human adaptive evolution. The book finishes by detailing how we can use this knowledge to impact disease outcomes and healthy human metabolism, development, and physiology.

Recent advances in neuroscience and genetics have greatly expanded our understanding of the brain and of the etiological factors involved in developmental delay and mental retardation. At the same time, the human genome project has yielded a wealth of information on DNA sequencing, regulation of gene expression, epigenetics, and functional aspects of the genome, which newly propels investigation into the pathogenesis of mental retardation. This book makes readily available current knowledge on the subject and applies it to clinical medicine, providing information essential to neurologists, geneticists, physicians and pediatricians as they search for the causes of mental handicap in their patients. Introductory chapters cover normal and abnormal brain structure, neurogenesis, neuronal proliferation, and signal transduction. Latter chapters delve into discussions of both the environmental factors that may lead to neurocognitive deficits and the cytogenetic, biochemical and molecular defects specifically associated with mental retardation. One chapter reviews gene involvement in non-syndromic mental retardation, autism, and language deficits, as well as multifactorial and genetically complex inheritance. The text concludes with a clinically practical discussion of carrier detection, presymptomatic diagnosis, and treatment of various genetic diseases through enzyme therapy, substrate deprivation, and the use of hemapoietic stem cells.

The twelfth edition of this classic reference work includes:

- More than 2,000 new entries

- A total of more than 9,000 entries

- New features and enhancement of the familiar old features

- Mapping information on more than 4,000 genes of known function

- Information on specific point mutations responsible for more than 700 genetic disorders or neoplasms

"Mendelian Inheritance in Man" (MIM) is a genetic knowledgebase that serves clinical medicine and biomedical research, including the Human Genome Project. It aims to be comprehensive (not only complete, but also collated, integrated, and interpreted), authoritative (not only accurate but also sound in its interpretations and judgements), and timely (not only up-to-date but also historically dimensioned).

"From a review of the eleventh edition, "Reproductive Toxicology: "Even the convenience of computer-based forms of "MIM" cannot eliminate the need for "MIM" in book form. The preface provides a wonderful synopsis of human genetics. The information contained in this text serves as a concise review for those with a genetics background."

"From a review of the tenth edition, "New England Journal of Medicine: " Victor McKusick] has been for all these years the shepherd of the development of the field of clinical genetics]. Perhaps his most important pragmatic achievement has been the 10 editions of "Mendelian Inheritance in Man, " which rapidly became and has remained the principal source of information on inherited diseases for all clinical geneticists.

"In addition to the erudite entries in the books, the references given with each description represent a magnificent bibliography of clinical genetics. With McKusick's leadership and continued interest in gene mapping, the book also rep-resents an important compen-dium of the location of genes on specific chromosomes.

"The book is a magnificent security blanket for the clinical geneticist and should be in the libraries not only of these specialists, but also of all others who see patients with diseases that have genetic components."

Mechanisms and Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Cognitive Disorders connects neurodevelopment with genetics and behavior to better understand the underlying factors leading to cognitive neurodevelopmental disorders. This book focuses on mechanisms of disease and follows the development of specific brain regions, functions, and gene expression to causes and processes in autism, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities. Topics include brain mapping, brain plasticity, epigenetics, neuroimmunology, and many other factors that influence the development of these diseases. This book will promote understanding of recent investigations and developments related to brain development from fetal life onward with specific relevance to neurodevelopmental cognitive disorders and conditions. This is an essential reference for anyone who is looking to learn more about different aspects of neurodevelopment and emerging concepts in psychiatric disorders.