Friday, 6 September 2013

Genomics: Applications in Human Biology

Given the pace at which the above developments are taking place it is not surprising that students and their academic mentors have difficulty in seeing the whole picture. This book has been written to provide them with the necessary overview, covering technologic developments, applications, and (where necessary) the ethical implications. The book is divided into three sections. The first section (Chapters 1 and 2) introduces the role of biotechnology and genomics in medicine and sets out some of the technologic advances that have been the basis of recent medical breakthroughs. The second section (Chapters 3–5) takes a closer look at how biotechnology and genomics are influencing the prevention and treatment of different categories of disease. Finally, in the third section (Chapters 6–8), we describe the contribution of biotechnology and genomics to the development of different types of therapy, including conventional drugs, recombinant proteins, and gene/cell therapies.
Throughout the book, the level of detail has been selected so that the reader can grasp what has been achieved without falling victim to “not seeing the wood for the trees.” A basic understanding of genetics and molecular biology has been assumed so we can avoid the obligatory chapters on DNA structure, gene expression, etc. that appear in most larger biology textbooks regardless of their actual focus. Readers requiring more detail of the recombinant DNA and genomics techniques should consult our more advanced textbooks on these subjects: Principles of Gene Manipulation (POGM) and Principles of Genome Analysis and Genomics (POGA), also published by Blackwell Publishing. References to appropriate sections in these two books are included at the end of each chapter (with the relevant acronym indicating the book), plus a short bibliography mostly comprising review papers that have been selected for their clarity of presentation. The reader will also find the text contains several categories of boxed text, which include history boxes (describing the origins and development of particular technologies or treatments), molecular boxes (which describe the molecular basis of diseases or treatments in more detail), and ethics boxes (which discuss the ethical implications of technology development and new therapies).


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