Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine, Third Edition

Book excerpt: Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology. Now in its third edition, this volume provides researchers with an updated tool kit that incorporates conventional as well as modern approaches to tackle biological and medicinal research in the post-genomics era. Significantly revised to address these recent changes, the editors have evaluated, revised, and sometimes replaced protocols with more efficient, more reliable, or simpler ones. The book has also been reorganized with section headings focusing on different biological levels connected to one another, taking into account the central dogma of biology (DNA → RNA → protein → metabolites). The book first explores traditional approaches and then moves to the modern "omics" approaches, including genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. It also discusses the manipulation of biological systems (including RNAi) and macromolecular analyses, focusing on the use of microscopy. In each chapter, various notes and cautionary considerations are presented for potentially hazardous reagents. Filled with diagrams, tables, and figures to clarify methods, most chapters also contain Troubleshooting Guides indicating problems, possible causes, and solutions that may be incurred in carrying out the procedures. Researchers and scientists who master the techniques in this book are putting themselves at the cutting edge of biological and medicinal research.