Leading academic and industrial investigators surveys the world of microarray technology, describing in step-by-step detail diverse DNA and protein assays in clinical laboratories using state-of-the-art technologies. The advanced tools and methods described are designed for mRNA expression analysis, SNP analysis, identification, and quantification of proteins, and for studies of protein-protein interactions. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Presenting the latest molecular diagnostic techniques in one comprehensive volume The molecular diagnostics landscape has changed dramatically since the last edition of Molecular Microbiology: Diagnostic Principles and Practice in 2011. With the spread of molecular testing and the development of new technologies and their opportunities, laboratory professionals and physicians more than ever need a resource to help them navigate this rapidly evolving field. Editors David Persing and Fred Tenover have brought together a team of experienced researchers and diagnosticians to update this third edition comprehensively, to present the latest developments in molecular diagnostics in the support of clinical care and of basic and clinical research, including next-generation sequencing and whole-genome analysis. These updates are provided in an easy-to-read format and supported by a broad range of practical advice, such as determining the appropriate type and quantity of a specimen, releasing and concentrating the targets, and eliminating inhibitors. Molecular Microbiology: Diagnostic Principles and Practice Presents the latest basic scientific theory underlying molecular diagnostics Offers tested and proven applications of molecular diagnostics for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, including point-of-care testing Illustrates and summarizes key concepts and techniques with detailed figures and tables Discusses emerging technologies, including the use of molecular typing methods for real-time tracking of infectious outbreaks and antibiotic resistance Advises on the latest quality control and quality assurance measures Explores the increasing opportunities and capabilities of information technology Molecular Microbiology: Diagnostic Principles and Practice is a textbook for molecular diagnostics courses that can also be used by anyone involved with diagnostic test selection and interpretation. It is also a useful reference for laboratories and as a continuing education resource for physicians. If you are looking for online access to the latest clinical microbiology content, please visit www.wiley.com/learn/clinmicronow.

Ithasbeenstatedthatourknowledgedoublesevery20years,butthatmaybe an understatement when considering the Life Sciences. A series of discoveries and inventions have propelled our knowledge from the recognition that DNA isthegeneticmaterialtoabasicmolecularunderstandingofourselvesandthe living world around us in less than 50 years. Crucial to this rapid progress was thediscoveryofthedouble-helicalstructureofDNA,whichlaidthefoundation forallhybridizationbasedtechnologies. Thediscoveriesofrestrictionenzymes, ligases, polymerases, combined with key innovations in DNA synthesis and sequencing ushered in the era of biotechnologyas a new science with profound sociological and economic implications that are likely to have a dominating in?uence on the development of our society during this century. Given the process by which science builds on prior knowledge, it is perhaps unfair to single out a few inventions and credit them with having contributed most to thisavalancheofknowledge. Yet,therearesurelysomethatwillberecognized as having had a more profound impact than others, not just in the furthering of our scienti?c knowledge, but by leveraging commercial applications that provide a tangible return to our society. The now famous Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, is surely one of those, as it has uniquely catalyzed molecular biology during the past 20 years, and continues to have a signi?cant impact on all areas that involve nucleic acids, ranging from molecular pathology to forensics. Ten years ago micro- ray technology emerged as a new and powerful tool to study nucleic acid - quences in a highly multiplexed manner, and has since found equally exciting and useful applications in the study of proteins, metabolites, toxins, viruses, whole cells and even tissues.

In recent years, high-density DNA microarrays have revolutionized biomedical research and drug discovery efforts by the pharmaceutical industry. Their efficacy in identifying and prioritizing drug targets based on their ability to confirm a large number of gene expression measurements in parallel has become a key element in drug discovery. Microarr

A Beginner's Guide to Microarrays addresses two audiences - the core facility manager who produces, hybridizes, and scans arrays, and the basic research scientist who will be performing the analysis and interpreting the results. User friendly coverage and detailed protocols are provided for the technical steps and procedures involved in many facets of microarray technology, including: -Cleaning and coating glass slides, -Designing oligonucleotide probes, -Constructing arrays for the detection and quantification of different bacterial species, -Preparing spotting solutions, -Troubleshooting spotting problems, -Setting up and running a core facility, -Normalizing background signal and controlling for systematic variance, -Designing experiments for maximum effect, -Analyzing data with statistical procedures, -Clustering data with machine-learning protocols.

Protein microarrays soon will become one of the major tools for realizing the goals of drug discovery research in the post-genome era. The book is aimed at life science researchers and scientists working in drug and pharma industry.

A rapid development in diverse areas of molecular biology and genetic engineering resulted in emergence of variety of tools. These tools are not only applicable to basic researches being carried out world over, but also exploited for precise detection of abnormal conditions in plants, animals and human body. Although a basic researcher is well versed with few techniques used by him/her in the laboratory, they may not be well acquainted with methodologies, which can be used to work out some of their own research problems. The picture is more blurred when the molecular diagnostic tools are to be used by physicians, scientists and technicians working in diagnostic laboratories in hospitals, industry and academic institutions. Since many of them are not trained in basics of these methods, they come across several gray areas in understanding of these tools. The accurate application of molecular diagnostic tools demands in depth understanding of the methodology for precise detection of the abnormal condition of living body. To meet the requirements of a good book on molecular diagnostics of students, physicians, scientists working in agricultural, veterinary, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, it needs to expose the reader lucidly to: Give basic science behind commonly used tools in diagnostics Expose the readers to detailed applications of these tools and Make them aware the availability of such diagnostic tools The book will attract additional audience of pathologists, medical microbiologists, pharmaceutical sciences, agricultural scientists and veterinary doctors if the following topics are incorporated at appropriate places in Unit II or separately as a part of Unit-III in the book. Molecular diagnosis of diseases in agricultural crops Molecular diagnosis of veterinary diseases. Molecular epidemiology, which helps to differentiate various epidemic strains and sources of disease outbreaks. Even in different units of the same hospital, the infections could be by different strains of the same species and the information becomes valuable for infection control strategies. Drug resistance is a growing problem for bacterial, fungal and parasitic microbes and the molecular biology tools can help to detect the drug resistance genes without the cultivation and in vitro sensitivity testing. Molecular diagnostics offers faster help in the selection of the proper antibiotic for the treatment of tuberculosis, which is a major problem of the in the developing world. The conventional culture and drug sensitivity testing of tuberculosis bacilli is laborious and time consuming, whereas molecular diagnosis offers rapid drug resistant gene detection even from direct clinical samples. The same approach for HIV, malaria and many more diseases needs to be considered. Molecular diagnostics in the detection of diseases during foetal life is an upcoming area in the foetal medicine in case of genetic abnormalities and infectious like TORCH complex etc. The book will be equally useful to students, scientists and professionals working in the field of molecular diagnostics.