Molecular Diagnostics Promises And Possibilities

A rapid development in diverse areas of molecular biology and genetic engineering resulted in emergence of variety of tools. These tools are not only applicable to basic researches being carried out world over, but also exploited for precise detection of abnormal conditions in plants, animals and human body. Although a basic researcher is well versed with few techniques used by him/her in the laboratory, they may not be well acquainted with methodologies, which can be used to work out some of their own research problems. The picture is more blurred when the molecular diagnostic tools are to be used by physicians, scientists and technicians working in diagnostic laboratories in hospitals, industry and academic institutions. Since many of them are not trained in basics of these methods, they come across several gray areas in understanding of these tools. The accurate application of molecular diagnostic tools demands in depth understanding of the methodology for precise detection of the abnormal condition of living body. To meet the requirements of a good book on molecular diagnostics of students, physicians, scientists working in agricultural, veterinary, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, it needs to expose the reader lucidly to: Give basic science behind commonly used tools in diagnostics Expose the readers to detailed applications of these tools and Make them aware the availability of such diagnostic tools The book will attract additional audience of pathologists, medical microbiologists, pharmaceutical sciences, agricultural scientists and veterinary doctors if the following topics are incorporated at appropriate places in Unit II or separately as a part of Unit-III in the book. Molecular diagnosis of diseases in agricultural crops Molecular diagnosis of veterinary diseases. Molecular epidemiology, which helps to differentiate various epidemic strains and sources of disease outbreaks. Even in different units of the same hospital, the infections could be by different strains of the same species and the information becomes valuable for infection control strategies. Drug resistance is a growing problem for bacterial, fungal and parasitic microbes and the molecular biology tools can help to detect the drug resistance genes without the cultivation and in vitro sensitivity testing. Molecular diagnostics offers faster help in the selection of the proper antibiotic for the treatment of tuberculosis, which is a major problem of the in the developing world. The conventional culture and drug sensitivity testing of tuberculosis bacilli is laborious and time consuming, whereas molecular diagnosis offers rapid drug resistant gene detection even from direct clinical samples. The same approach for HIV, malaria and many more diseases needs to be considered. Molecular diagnostics in the detection of diseases during foetal life is an upcoming area in the foetal medicine in case of genetic abnormalities and infectious like TORCH complex etc. The book will be equally useful to students, scientists and professionals working in the field of molecular diagnostics.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains ... "a companion eBook version of Molecular diagnostics : for the clinical laboratorian, Second edition ... for downloading and use in the reader's PC or PDA."--Page 4 of cover.

This book offers an introduction to the newest, fastest-growing field in laboratory science. Explaining and clarifying the molecular techniques used in diagnostic testing, this text provides both entry-level and advanced information. It covers the principles of molecular biology along with genomes and nucleic acid alterations, techniques and instrumentation, and applications of molecular diagnostics. Written by leading experts, including Patrick Bossuyt, Angela Caliendo, Rossa W.K. Chiu, Kojo S.J. Elenitoba-Johnson, Andrea Ferreira-Gonzalez, Amy Groszbach, Sultan Habeebu, Doris Haverstick, Malek Kamoun, Anthony Killeen, Noriko Kusukawa, Y.M. Dennis Lo, Elaine Lyon, Gwendolyn McMillin, Christopher Price, James Versalovic, Cindy Vnencak-Jones, Victor Weedn, Peter Wilding, Thomas Williams, and Carl Wittwer, this book includes illustrations, tables, and a colorful design to make information easy to find and easy to use. A full-color, 4-page insert shows realistic images of the output for many molecular tests. Learning Objectives open each chapter with an overview of what you should achieve. Key Words are listed and defined at the beginning of each chapter, and are bolded in the text. Review Questions at the end of every chapter let you measure your comprehension. Advanced Concepts are included, but set apart from the rest of the text, for students who want a higher level of learning. Ethics boxes address ethical issues, allowing you to apply your knowledge to real-life scenarios. A glossary of all key words may be easily accessed in the back of the book.

Genome-Based Diagnostics: Demonstrating Clinical Utility in Oncology is the summary of a workshop convened in May 2012 by the Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health and the Center for Medical Technology Policy of the Institute of Medicine to foster the identified need for further sustained dialogue between stakeholders regarding the clinical utility of molecular diagnostics. The workshop brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, health care providers, policy makers, payers, diagnostic test developers, researchers, and guideline developers, to identify the challenges and opportunities in advancing the development and use of molecular diagnostic tests designed to guide the treatment and management of patients with cancer. The sequencing of the human genome has greatly accelerated the process of linking specific genetic variants with disease. These findings have yielded a rapidly increasing number of molecular diagnostic tests designed to guide disease treatment and management. Many of these tests are aimed at determining the best treatments for specific forms of cancer, making oncology a valuable testing ground for the use of molecular diagnostic tests in medicine in general. Nevertheless, many questions surround the clinical value of molecular diagnostic tests, and their acceptance by clinicians, payers, and patients has been unpredictable. A major limiting factor for the use of these tests has been the lack of clear evidence of clinical utility. Genome-Based Diagnostics assesses the evidentiary requirements for clinical utility of molecular diagnostics used to guide treatment decisions for patients with cancer; discusses methodologies related to demonstrating these evidentiary requirements that meet the needs of all stakeholders; and considers innovative, sustainable research collaborations for generating evidence of clinical utility involving multiple stakeholders.

Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.

Integrative Omics: Concepts, Methodology and Applications provides a holistic and integrated view of defining and applying network approaches, integrative tools, and methods to solve problems for the rationalization of genotype to phenotype relationships. The reference includes a range of chapters in a systemic ‘step by step’ manner, which begins with the basic concepts from Omic to Multi Integrative Omics approaches, followed by their full range of approaches, applications, emerging trends, and future trends. All key areas of Omics are covered including biological databases, sequence alignment, pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics and microbial omics, integrated omics for Food Science and Identification of genes associated with disease, clinical data integration and data warehousing, translational omics as well as omics technology policy and society research. Integrative Omics: Concepts, Methodology and Applications highlights the recent concepts, methodologies, advancements in technologies and is also well-suited for researchers from both academic and industry background, undergraduate and graduate students who are mainly working in the area of computational systems biology, integrative omics and translational science. The book bridges the gap between biological sciences, physical sciences, computer science, statistics, data science, information technology and mathematics by presenting content specifically dedicated to mathematical models of biological systems. Provides a holistic, integrated view of a defining and applying network approach, integrative tools, and methods to solve problems for rationalization of genotype to phenotype relationships Offers an interdisciplinary approach to Databases, data analytics techniques, biological tools, network construction, analysis, modeling, prediction and simulation of biological systems leading to ‘translational research’, i.e., drug discovery, drug target prediction, and precision medicine Covers worldwide methods, concepts, databases, and tools used in the construction of integrated pathways

Viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites are known to cause the most common human disease. It frequently spreads through direct contact (from human to human, animal to human), and through contaminated food or water. With the advancement of diagnostic techniques, it is now possible to rapidly identify microorganisms causing human disease and correlate with the corresponding clinical infection. Therefore, there is a need to develop robust and high-throughput diagnostic methods to prevent and control human disease of public health importance. This book entitled “Recent Advancements in the Diagnosis of Human Disease” will help the scientific community to better understand the transmission dynamics of some human diseases.

NANOMATERIALS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY IN MEDICINE A comprehensive introduction to nanomaterials and their application in the field of medicine The use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials more generally is an emerging field that has generated a lot of interest in the last few years. To this point, there have been few books that deal with the recent advances in nanomaterials or nanocomposites in the medical discipline. Intended as a one-stop reference, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Medicine provides the reader with the most-up-to-date and comprehensive exploration of the field of nanomedicine. The scope of the topic is huge, with nano applications in every medical specialization—from diagnostics to pharmaceuticals, from biological therapies to surgical devices, and from regenerative therapies to gene therapy. As such, this volume provides the most comprehensive coverage of this intriguing field of study. Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Medicine readers will also find: An application-oriented book dedicated towards helping researchers find solutions to both fundamental and applied problems Chapters written by leading researchers from industry, academy, government, and private research institutions across the globe Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Medicine is a useful reference for medical doctors, medical practitioners, post-doctoral research fellows, senior graduate students, and medical libraries.