Genomics: Applications in Human Biology

The complete set of DNA instructions found in a cell is known as the genome. The specialty within biology which deals with the function, mapping, structure, evolution and editing of genomes is known as genomics. Human genome refers to the base pairs of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that comprise the entire set of chromosomes in the human body. It is a collection of long polymers of DNA, which contain both the coding and non-coding DNA regions. The structure, organization, chemical modifications and sequencing of these polymers provide the necessary machinery for communicating the information stored in the genome. All human biological research heavily relies on the sequenced human genome, because it is an essential reference for comparing all human genomes. Understanding the human genome provides insight into the disease risks or health tendencies of humans. It is also helpful in understanding the origin of the human species and the links that exist among human subpopulations. This book contains some path-breaking studies on genomics. It elucidates the concepts and innovative models around prospective developments with respect to its applications in human biology. This book will serve as a reference to a broad spectrum of readers.