Molecular Biotechnology

This text is a completely updated and rewritten version of the author's successful Modern Biotechnology which, since publication in late 1987, has sold over 3,500 copies. Once again the author has adopted a uniquely broad view of the subject which embraces all aspects of the commercial exploitation of living organisms and their components. Therefore, unlike many other texts in this field, this book ranges far more widely than mere industrial microbiology. It includes discussion of the pervasive applications of molecular biology in fields such as medicine and diagnostics, it looks at the effect of the law on the development of powerful new techniques such as fingerprinting and the polymerase chain reaction, and shows how molecular biologists are able to 'engineer' proteins and enzymes for commercial use in the same way that a designer fashions new products. Chapters explore the latest developments resulting in the creation of transgenic animals and the implications of this for agriculture as well as the monoclonal antibody revolution and the new immunotherapy.