Genetic Diversity And Disease Susceptibility

Polymorphism or variation in DNA sequence can affect individual phenotypes such as color of skin or eyes, susceptibility to diseases, and response to drugs, vaccines, chemicals, and pathogens. Especially, the interfaces between genetics, disease susceptibility, and pharmacogenomics have recently been the subject of intense research activity. This book is a self-contained collection of valuable scholarly papers related to genetic diversity and disease susceptibility, pharmacogenomics, ongoing advances in technology, and analytic methods in this field. The book contains nine chapters that cover the three main topics of genetic polymorphism, genetic diversity, and disease susceptibility and pharmacogenomics. Hence, this book is particularly useful to academics, scientists, physicians, pharmacists, practicing researchers, and postgraduate students whose work relates to genetic polymorphisms.

Polymorphism or variation in DNA sequence can affect individual phenotypes such as color of skin or eyes, susceptibility to diseases, and response to drugs, vaccines, chemicals, and pathogens. Especially, the interfaces between genetics, disease susceptibility, and pharmacogenomics have recently been the subject of intense research activity. This book is a self-contained collection of valuable scholarly papers related to genetic diversity and disease susceptibility, pharmacogenomics, ongoing advances in technology, and analytic methods in this field. The book contains nine chapters that cover the three main topics of genetic polymorphism, genetic diversity, and disease susceptibility and pharmacogenomics. Hence, this book is particularly useful to academics, scientists, physicians, pharmacists, practicing researchers, and postgraduate students whose work relates to genetic polymorphisms.

This book assesses the scientific value and merit of research on human genetic differencesâ€"including a collection of DNA samples that represents the whole of human genetic diversityâ€"and the ethical, organizational, and policy issues surrounding such research. Evaluating Human Genetic Diversity discusses the potential uses of such collection, such as providing insight into human evolution and origins and serving as a springboard for important medical research. It also addresses issues of confidentiality and individual privacy for participants in genetic diversity research studies.

"Progress in the molecular analysis of genetic susceptibility to human and animal infectious diseases has been very rapid over the last few years. Several genes involved in resistance to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, herpesvirus infections, prion diseases, and several others have now been identified, and their functions have partly or completely been elucidated." "This book covers the most recent advances in the field and explores how progress in knowing the genetic basis of infectious diseases could lead to new insights into understanding and combating them."--BOOK JACKET.

The secrets of our genetic heritage are finally being unlocked. The massive scientific effort to sequence the human genome is in fact just the beginning of a long journey as the extraordinary genetic diversity that exists between individuals becomes clear. Work in this field promises much: to understand our evolutionary origins, to define us as individuals, to predict our risk of disease and to more effectively understand, treat and prevent illness. Contemporary genetic research is allowing the basis of both rare inherited disorders and common multifactorial diseases like asthma and diabetes to be more clearly defined. Huge investments are being made and great advances have been achieved, but the challenges remain daunting. This book provides an authoritative overview of this topical and very rapidly advancing field of biomedical research. Human Genetic Diversity describes the major classes of genetic variation and their functional consequences. A combination of cutting-edge research and landmark historical studies illustrate developments in the field, the rationale for current studies and likely future directions. Major structural variants at a chromosomal level are described, as well as copy number variation and sequence level genetic diversity. Evidence of selective pressures in human populations and insights into human evolution are illustrated. The book describes the development of linkage analysis and more recently genome-wide association studies to define the genetic basis of disease, current approaches to defining functional causative variants and the emerging fields of pharmacogenomics and individualised medicine.

Topic Editor Ranajit Das is the Founder Director of Genome Mapster and Infygene Genomic Healthcare. Topic Editor Tatiana Tatarinova holds patents related to the Research Topic subject. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.

Genetic Polymorphisms and Susceptibity to Disease provides a reference for established researchers in genetic research. The book provides a broad but thorough overview of how allelic gene differences influence disease susceptibility in the human population, and will be a useful reference to researchers across a range of disciplines, for example, oncology, cardiology and immunology . In addition, this book serves as a primer for students first entering the field of genetic research.

This book describes the remarkable progress which has been made in defining the extent and nature of human genetic variation. It provides a framework for understanding how research in this area is revolutionising our knowledge of human origins and the genetic basis of disease, as well as common traits such as obesity.