This book is an up-to-date and unique collection of experimental protocols from an area of pharmaceutical research that is essential for the development of new, highly specific drugs as well as for the exploration of completely new therapeutic approaches to disease treatments.

Over the last twenty years, liposomes, useful models for cell membranes, have become a powerful research tool whose study has resulted in many advances in cell physiology. This conveniently spiral-bound handbook covers many of these industrial and medical applications. The "hands-on" treatment includes information on liposome structure, tailoring liposomes to specific applications, the handling of lipids, active loading, purification, and chemical analysis and characterization. The book is fully illustrated, and readers will find step-by-step instruction on fluorescence techniques, instrumentation, interactions of liposomes with cells, using markers to determine the fate of liposome components, and retrieval of liposome components.

In the view of most experts pharmacology is on drugs, targets, and actions. In the context the drug as a rule is seen as an active pharmaceutical ingredient and not as a complex mixture of chemical entities of a well defined structure. Today, we are becoming more and more aware of the fact that delivery of the active compound to the target site is a key. The present volume gives a topical overview on various modern approaches to drug targeting covering today’s options for specific carrier systems allowing successful drug treatment at various sites of the body difficult to address and allowing to increase the benefit-risk-ratio to the optimum possible.

Liposomes are cellular structures made up of lipid molecules. Important as a cellular model in the study of basic biology, liposomes are also used in clinical applications such as drug delivery and virus studies. Liposomes Part E is a continuation of previous Methods in Enzymology Liposome volumes A, B, C and D. - One of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry since 1955 - Frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike - Truly an essential publication for anyone in any field of the life sciences

This book gives a detailed yet clear insight into the current state of the art of the therapeutic application of bacteriophages in different conditions. The authors bring in their practical expertise within their respective fields of expertise and provide an excellent overview of the potential and actual use of phage therapy. Topics like economic feasibility compared to traditional antibiotics and also regulatory issues are discussed in far detail. This new volume is therefore a valuable resource for individuals engaged in the medical application of novel phage therapies.

During the past 20 years, transgenesis has become a popular technique and a crucial tool for molecular geneticists and biologists. Transgene expression is now better-controlled and even specifically inducible by exogenous factors. While these techniques have quite significantly transformed the experimental approaches taken by biologists, the applications are more limited than expected and concerns have arisen regarding biosafety as well as physiological, social, and philosophical issues. Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use contains articles on the techniques used to generate transgenic animals and a section on the preparation of vectors for the optimally controlled expression of transgenes. It also examines the use of transgenic animals in the study of gene function and human diseases, the preparation of recombinant proteins and organs for pharmaceutical and medical use, and the improvement of genetic characteristics of farm animals. Finally, it discusses more recent problems generated by transgenic animals including conservation of transgenic lines, specific database patenting, biosafety, and bioethics. Drawn from both academia and industry, the contributors to this monograph present in one concise volume all the relevant information on the different aspects of transgenesis. This book can be used as both a reference book and a textbook for specialized university courses and will be of interest to everyone involved in basic research in animal biology, molecular genetics, animal biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, and medicine.

In this concise and systematic book, a team of experts select the most important, cutting-edge technologies used in drug delivery systems. They take into account significant drugs, new technologies such as nanoparticles, and therapeutic applications. The chapters present step-by-step laboratory protocols following the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, offering readily reproducible results vital for pharmaceutical physicians and scientists.