Current Topics in Human Genetics by
The sequencing of the human genome has brought human genetics into a new era of study resulting in the generation of an explosive amount of information. Application of genomic, proteomic, and bioinformatics technologies to the study of human genetics has made it possible for human genetic diseases to be studied on an unprecedented scale, both in silico and in the wet lab. This volume provides up-to-date coverage of the broad range of research topics in this fascinating area. In the first part of the book, a whole spectrum of approaches to human genetics research is reviewed for both background and the latest progress. In the second, important topics related to genetic research of various complex human diseases are discussed. The robust content and diverse array of subjects allow the book to serve as both a concise "encyclopedia" that introduces basic and essential concepts of human genetics and an in-depth review of the current understanding of genetic research in human diseases.
An Introduction to Genetic Engineering by
Des Nicholl presents here a new, fully revised, and expanded edition of his popular undergraduate-level textbook. Many of the features of the original edition have been retained; the book still offers a concise technical introduction to the subject of genetic engineering. However, the book is now divided into three main sections: the first introduces students to basic molecular biology, the second section explains the methods used to manipulate genes, and the third deals with modern applications of genetic engineering. A whole chapter is now devoted to the polymerase chain reaction. Applications covered in the book include genomics, protein engineering, gene therapy, cloning, and transgenic animals and plants. A final chapter discusses the ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering in general. An Introduction to Genetic Engineering is essential reading for undergraduate students of biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry.
The Ethical Issues of Human Genetic Databases by The Ethics of Human Genetic Databases by 
Genetic Twists of Fate by
News stories report almost daily on the remarkable progress scientists are making inunraveling the genetic basis of disease and behavior. Meanwhile, new technologies are rapidlyreducing the cost of reading someone's personal DNA (all six billion letters of it). Within the nextten years, hospitals may present parents with their newborn's complete DNA code along with herfootprints and APGAR score. In Genetic Twists of Fate, distinguished geneticistsStanley Fields and Mark Johnston help us make sense of the genetic revolution that is upon us.Fields and Johnston tell real life stories that hinge on the inheritance of one tiny change ratherthan another in an individual's DNA: a mother wrongly accused of poisoning her young son when thetrue killer was a genetic disorder; the screen siren who could no longer remember her lines becauseof Alzheimer's disease; and the president who was treated with rat poison to prevent another heartattack. In an engaging and accessible style, Fields and Johnston explain what our personal DNA codeis, how a few differences in its long list of DNA letters makes each of us unique, and how that codeinfluences our appearance, our behavior, and our risk for such common diseases as diabetes orcancer.
Genetically Modified Food and Global Welfare by
Genetically modified (GM) (or transgenic) crops are produced using plant biotechnology to select desirable characteristics in plants and transfer genes from one organism to another. As a result, crops can survive under harsher conditions, costs are lowered, chemical application is reduced, and yields are improved. Scientists are introducing genes into plants that will give them resistance to herbicides, insects, disease, drought and salt in the soil. The application of modern biotechnology to crop and food production is one of the most significant technological advances to impact modern agriculture. The future of GM technology holds further promises of continued benefits. But the potential of GM product innovations has been overshadowed by significant controversy over this technology. The regulatory activism that has accompanied the diffusion of GM technology has given rise to a complex situation that is replete with obstacles for current and future GM innovations. This is particularly true for the European Union (EU), which has implemented restrictive policies that undoubtedly constrain the current status and the future potential of biotechnology. The discourse on biotechnology applied to food and agriculture is at a crossroads due to rising food prices and concerns about adequate food supplies and limited land and water. Over the last decade a large body of applied economics work has addressed the key questions surrounding the application of this technology to food production. It is now time to take stock of the results of these efforts, and consolidate the methodological, analytical and empirical findings. The challenge is to strengthen the consensus of what economics has to offer in the analysis of the complex issues surrounding the ongoing development of GM products for the agricultural and food sector. The motivation for this volume is to provide a new perspective on the most pressing policy questions regarding GM crops and to help foster an intellectual climate conducive to achieving meaningful progress and lasting solutions. It brings together fresh insights from top agricultural economists in the areas of consumer attitudes, environmental impacts, policy and regulation, trade, investment, food security, and development.
Genetically Modified Food by
-- The perfect guide for anyone who wants to know more about genetically modified crops -- what they are, how many countries already use them, and why they're a problem --'Rees unmasks the biotech industry's horrific tactics in their race to take over our food supply and the devastation that their crops will inflict.' Jeffrey M. Smith, international best-selling author, Seeds of Deception'This has great pace and is very accessible [and] technically accurate.' Dr Michael Antoniou, Reader in Molecular Genetics at Kings College, London, Guy's Hospital Campus'Gives a great boost to all public-spirited citizens who want to get their facts straight. ... Highly recommended!' Dr Arpad Pusztai, the world's leading expert on plant lectinsWritten by a leading campaigner for GM Watch, one of the world's leading lobbying groups, this short account reveals the huge issues that are at stake. Genetically modified food has been headline news for years, but it's difficult to know how far the genetic revolution has affected our lives. Is the food on our shelves free of genetically engineered ingredients? How much power do food corporations wield? Andy Rees provides the answers. He shows that, while corporations that produce genetically modified food have met with resistance in Europe, their hold on the U.S. market is strong. They're also expanding operations in less-regulated countries in Africa, Asia and the former Soviet bloc. The U.S. has launched a legal suit to attempt to force the European market open to genetically modified food. What does the future hold? This brilliantly readable book tells us all we need to know.
Genetics and the Unsettled Past by
Our genetic markers have come to be regarded as portals to the past. Analysis of these markers is increasingly used to tell the story of human migration; to investigate and judge issues of social membership and kinship; to rewrite history and collective memory; to right past wrongs and to arbitrate legal claims and human rights controversies; and to open new thinking about health and well-being. At the same time, in many societies genetic evidence is being called upon to perform a kind of racially charged cultural work: to repair the racial past and to transform scholarly and popular opinion about the "nature" of identity in the present."Genetics and the Unsettled Past" considers the alignment of genetic science with commercial genealogy, with legal and forensic developments, and with pharmaceutical innovation to examine how these trends lend renewed authority to biological understandings of race and history.This unique collection brings together scholars from a wide range of disciplines--biology, history, cultural studies, law, medicine, anthropology, ethnic studies, sociology--to explore the emerging and often contested connections among race, DNA, and history. Written for a general audience, the book's essays touch upon a variety of topics, including the rise and implications of DNA in genealogy, law, and other fields; the cultural and political uses and misuses of genetic information; the way in which DNA testing is reshaping understandings of group identity for French Canadians, Native Americans, South Africans, and many others within and across cultural and national boundaries; and the sweeping implications of genetics for society today.
Introduction to Risk Calculation in Genetic Counseling by
The process of genetic counseling involves many key components, such as taking a family genetic history, making a diagnosis, and providing communication and support to the family. Among these core processes is the mathematical calculation of the actual risk of a possible genetic disorder. For most physicians and counselors, the mathematics and statistics involved can be major challenge which is not always helped by complex computer programs or lengthy papers full of elaborate formulae. In this clear, reader-friendly guide, Ian Young addresses this problem and demonstrates how risk can be estimated for inherited disorders using a basic knowledge of the laws of probability and their application to clinical problems. The text employs a wealth of clearly explained examples and key points in order to guide the reader to an accurate assessment of the risk of genetic disease. It primarily will appeal to genetic counselors, geneticists, and all those involved in providing medical genetic services. In this new edition, Dr. Young has pruned redundancies and extensively updated the concepts in each of the 10 chapters, and he has included more working examples, a popular feature of the book.
Current Topics in Human Genetics by
The sequencing of the human genome has brought human genetics into a new era of study resulting in the generation of an explosive amount of information. Application of genomic, proteomic, and bioinformatics technologies to the study of human genetics has made it possible for human genetic diseases to be studied on an unprecedented scale, both in silico and in the wet lab. This volume provides up-to-date coverage of the broad range of research topics in this fascinating area. In the first part of the book, a whole spectrum of approaches to human genetics research is reviewed for both background and the latest progress. In the second, important topics related to genetic research of various complex human diseases are discussed. The robust content and diverse array of subjects allow the book to serve as both a concise "encyclopedia" that introduces basic and essential concepts of human genetics and an in-depth review of the current understanding of genetic research in human diseases.
The Power of the Gene: the Origin and Impact of Genetic Disorders by
Through the use of famous patients, characters, legends, history, anecdotes and news stories, The Power of the Gene: The Origin and Impact of Genetic Disorders works on a new level to introduce the subject of genetics by generating interest around the subject through well-known examples. For instance, those genetics disorders thought to lie behind the Vampire legends, those of the Werewolf and those inherited diseases that have changed history, such as the fall of the Russian Royal family or the loss of half of the British Empire. In this respect, the intention of the book is not to shock people by painting disheartening pictures of severely disabled and deformed people, rather it is written in a live-and-let-live style. Filled with hundreds of examples the reader is drawn into the workings of genetics through a curiosity about the genetic disorders with which well known historical figures and celebrities have had to contend. For example, cystic fibrosis left Chopin so weak from coughing and digestive problems that he would give piano lessons from his bed. Sickle-cell anaemia affects the life of the lead singer from TLC, T-boz, and is quite common in people of African descent. In this respect this book is unique. In between the numerous stories and anecdotes the reader is drawn through the principles of genetics.
The Human Genome by
The sequencing of the human genome reveals our complete complement of genetic material. The sequenced human genome is one of the most international biomedical research projects ever, which is important in our current often all-too-fractured world. This book defines the function of all "unknown" human genes, delineates the functional and phenotypic significance of human genetic variants in humans, and explores the functions of the vast non-genic regions of the human genome. Human genome sequencing has revealed a great opportunity to deeply investigate the biology and evolution of the sex chromosome pair at a more global level, allowing new frontiers in the genetics research, such as a detailed knowledge of the sequence and the gene content of these chromosomes. This book provides the most current research done in this area.
An Introduction to Human Molecular Genetics by
An Introduction to Human Molecular Genetics Second Edition Jack J. Pasternak The Second Edition of this internationally acclaimed text expands its coverage of the molecular genetics of inherited human diseases with the latest research findings and discoveries. Using a unique, systems-based approach, the text offers readers a thorough explanation of the gene discovery process and how defective genes are linked to inherited disease states in major organ and tissue systems. All the latest developments in functional genomics, proteomics, and microarray technology have been thoroughly incorporated into the text. The first part of the text introduces readers to the fundamentals of cytogenetics and Mendelian genetics. Next, techniques and strategies for gene manipulation, mapping, and isolation are examined. Readers will particularly appreciate the text's exceptionally thorough and clear explanation of genetic mapping. The final part features unique coverage of the molecular genetics of distinct biological systems, covering muscle, neurological, eye, cancer, and mitochondrial disorders. Throughout the text, helpful figures and diagrams illustrate and clarify complex material. Readers familiar with the first edition will recognize the text's same lucid and engaging style, and will find a wealth of new and expanded material that brings them fully up to date with a current understanding of the field, including: * New chapters on complex genetic disorders, genomic imprinting, and human population genetics * Expanded and fully revised section on clinical genetics, covering diagnostic testing, molecular screening, and various treatments This text is targeted at upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, and medical students. It is also an excellent reference for researchers and physicians who need a clinically relevant reference for the molecular genetics of inherited human diseases.
DNA Research, Genetics and Cell Biology by
This book presents and discusses topical research in the study of DNA, genetics and cell biology. Topics discussed include DNA damage related to exposure to oil spills; mutation detection in TP53 gene; DNA and protein sequence analysis; the role of effectors on hypoxia due to nitric oxide production in human alveolar epithelial cells and plasma cell dyscrasias.
The Genetic Basis of Common Diseases by
Since the first edition of this highly acclaimed text was published in 1992, much new knowledge has been gained about the role of genetic factors in common adult diseases, and we now have a better understanding of the molecular processes involved in genetic susceptibility and diseasesmechanisms. The second edition fully incorporates these advances. The entire book has been updated and twelve new chapters have been added. Most of these chapters deal with diseases such as gallstones, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, skin cancer, other common skin diseases, prostate cancer andmigraine headaches that are seen by all physicians. Others address the genetic and molecular basis of spondylarthropathies, lupus, hemochromatosis, IgA deficiency, mental retardation, hearing loss, and the role of mitochondrial variation in adult diseases. Chapters on the evolution of humangenetic disease and on animal models add important background on the omplexities of these diseases. Unique clinical applications of genetics to common diseases are covered in the additional new chapters on genetic counseling, pharmacogenetics, and the genetic consequences of moderntherapeutics.
Genetic Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases by
Infectious diseases are commonly regarded as a distinct category, with different causes and patterns than chronic or genetic disease. But in fact there are many varieties of genetic susceptibility to infection, the subject of this book, which will be divided into three sections: 1) concepts and methods, 2) genes and pathophysiologic mechanisms, and 3) infectious agents and diseases. No currently plubished text on either genetics or infectious diseases focuses on the genetic aspects of the special relationship between host and pathogen in the way envisioned for Section 1. No other work on the selected genes regulating immunity deals as systematically with the sequence variation/function relationships most pertinent to infection as planned for Section 2. And no other book gives as meaningful a picture of how these genes operate in infectious disease as Section 3 will.
Heredity and Hope by
The secrets locked in our genes are being revealed, and we find ourselves both enthused and frightened about what that portends. We look forward to curing disease and alleviating sufferingâe"for our children as well as for ourselvesâe"but we also worry about delving too deeply into the double helix. Abuses perpetrated by eugenicistsâe"from involuntary sterilization to murderâe"continue to taint our feelings about genetic screening. Yet, as Ruth Schwartz Cowan reveals, modern genetic screening has been practiced since 1960, benefiting millions of women and children all over the world. She persuasively argues that new forms of screeningâe"prenatal, newborn, and carrier testingâe"are both morally right and politically acceptable. Medical genetics, built on the desire of parents and physicians to reduce suffering and increase personal freedom, not on the desire to âeoeimprove the human race,âe#157; is in fact an entirely different enterprise from eugenics. Cowanâe(tm)s narrative moves from an account of the interwoven histories of genetics and eugenics in the first half of the twentieth century, to the development of new forms of genetic screening after mid-century. It includes illuminating chapters on the often misunderstood testing programs for sickle cell anemia, and on the worldâe(tm)s only mandated premarital screening programs, both of them on the island of Cyprus. Neither minimizing the difficulty of the choices that modern genetics has created for us nor fearing them, Cowan bravely and compassionately argues that we can improve the quality of our own lives and the lives of our children by using the modern science and technology of genetic screening responsibly.
Concepts in Genetic Medicine by
This book delivers a collection of organized and succinct reviews in the field of therapeutic genetic medicine presented by a carefully selected group of top experts. Each chapter focuses on a single, current topic and explains issues in the development of genetic treatments, critical challenges and strategies for implementing them, and future directions in research and translational applications. The book is complemented with uniformly designed illustrations and a supplementary Web site with a PowerPoint presentation for educators.
Human Genome Epidemiology by
Advances in genomics are expected to play a central role in medicine and public health in the future by providing a genetic basis for disease prediction and prevention. The transplantation of human gene discoveries into meaningful actions to improve health and prevent disease depends onscientific information from multiple disciplines, including epidemiology. This book describes the important role that epidemiologic methods play in the continuum from gene discovery to the development and application of genetic tests. It proceeds systematically from the fundamentals of genometechnology and gene discovery, to epidemiologic approaches to gene characterization in the population, to the evaluation of genetic tests and their use in health services. These methodologic approaches are then illustrated with several disease-specific case studies. The book provides a scientificfoundation that will help researchers, policy makers, and practitioners integrate genomics into medical and public health practice.
The Language of Genetics by
The Language of Genetics: An Introduction is the seventh title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, Dr. Denis R. Alexander offers readers a basic toolkit of information, explanations, and ideas that can help us grasp something of the fascination and the challenge of the language of genetics. Alexander surveys the big picture, covering such topics as the birth of the field; DNA: what it is, how it works, and how it was discovered; our genetic history; the role of genes in diseases, epigenetics, and genetic engineering. The book assumes the reader has little scientific background, least of all in genetics, and approaches these issues in a very accessible way, free of specialized or overly technical jargon. In the last chapter, Dr. Alexander explores some of the big questions raised by genetics: what are its implications for notions of human value and uniqueness? Is evolution consistent with religious belief? If we believe in a God of love, then how come the evolutionary process, utterly dependent upon the language of genetics, is so wasteful and involves so much pain and suffering? How far should we go in manipulating the human genome? Does genetics subvert the idea that life has some ultimate meaning and purpose? Genetics is a rapidly advancing field; it seems new discoveries make headlines every other week. The Language of Genetics is intended to give the general reader the knowledge he or she needs to assess and understand the next big story in genetics.