An Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology Fundamentals, Methods and Applications

Life sciences have advanced at a rapid speed. The information of cell and molecular biology as well as genetics can be applied to biotechnology and medicine. This new field has been termed "Molecular Biotechnology" and its focus is more on Science and its techniques than on fermenters and engineering. This book summarizes the basic knowledge of cell and molecular biology, introduces the main methods and explains concepts and applications in more detail. A very detailed introduction to the fundamentals in molecular and cell biology is followed by an overview of standard techniques applied in molecular biotechnology -- including chromatography and electrophoresis, cloning techniques, gene expression systems, immunological methods, labeling of proteins and in situ-techniques, microscopy and laser systems. The third part then focuses on the key topics of molecular biotechnology, ranging from functional genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics to drug targeting, recombinant antibodies, structural biology, gene therapy and knock mice. The whole is rounded off by a section on biotechnology in industry dealing with patenting issues, company foundation and market opportunities. Biotechnology is our use of living organisms to produce useful products and services. This involves the manipulation of living organisms, frequently through genetic engineering. For years now there have been products on the market produced with the help of biotechnology, for example beer and yoghurt. Today, more and more products derived from biotechnology are being brought onto the market. Medicines such as insulin for the treatment of diabetes have been used for years, while others have only recently been introduced. Over 600 pages this book provides students and professionals in life sciences, pharmacy and biochemistry with all they need to know about molecular biotechnology.

Michael Wink studied biology and chemistry in Bonn and was awarded his doctorate from TU Braunschweig in 1980. After gaining his lecturing qualification in 1984/1985, he was awarded a Heisenberg grant by the German Research Council to work at the Max Planck Institute for Breeding Research in Cologne and from then at the gene center of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. Following a chair for pharmaceutical biology at Mainz University in 1988, he accepted the post of Professor for Pharmaceutical Biology at the University of Heidelberg one year later. Between 2002 and 2004 he was the founding and managing director of the Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, and dean from 2001 to 2005 for the new and popular course in molecular biotechnology offered by the university. Professor Wink's areas of interest include pharmaceutical research, molecular biotechnology, and medicinal plants, as well as research into secondary materials and evolution.