The GMO Handbook: Genetically Modified Animals, Microbes, and Plants in Biotechnology

Today genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their products are central to the agricultural, food, and pharmaceutical industries and heated debate over their risks and benefits exists. In The GMO Handbook: Genetically Modified Animals, Microbes, and Plants in Biotechnology, leading scientists and administrators who have made significant contributions to the biotechnology revolution survey the best current accomplishments of GMO research in all their complexity and ramifications. Their encompassing review introduces the fundamentals of biotechnology as a scientific discipline, shows how GMO research is conducted today, discusses the problems that have arisen from genetic technology and the tools needed to resolve them, and describes how GMO-derived technology may impact our lives in the future. On the technical side, the authors examine a wide range of current technologies employed from cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry for constructing GMOs, and describe approaches to novel research, appropriate protocols, and the process of constructing and screening a GMO. The discussion of plant and animal cells covers new strategies employed and the large-scale expression and purification of recombinant products in cultured cells. Social, political, and legal issues are also included through discussions of the importance of public acceptance of GMOs and the regulatory environment both in the US and other countries. Accessible and informative, The GMO Handbook: Genetically Modified Animals, Microbes, and Plants in Biotechnology offers biotechnologists a comprehensive survey of the GMO field, describing its history, current and emerging technologies, hands-on methods for transferring genes, and a reference guide to the regulatory, ethical, and biosafety compliance needs for GMO-derived consumer products