Molecular Aspects of Biotechnology: Computational Models and Theories

Book excerpt: Although biotechnology emerged from the genetic engineering revolution of the '70s, the knowledge of the structure of genes revealed its molecular aspects. Molecular biotechnology is a multidisciplinary domain of research in which experiments, simulations, and theories interact. At present, the huge increase in computer power allows us to carry out numerical simulations of biochemical systems. However, a fundamental question appears concerning the sophistication of the model utilized to capture the main features of biomolecules and biochemical processes. In the present book a group of leading specialists in molecular biotechnology provides an answer to this question. This book is thus an excellent tool for those researchers wishing to know the state-of-the-art in this domain. The book spans the range from molecular conformations through protein folding, and from chemical reactivity through enzymatic action. Furthermore, it formulates recommendations for future research in molecular biotechnology.