Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Description

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology is an increasingly important area of science and technology, and contributes to design and delivery of new therapeutic drugs, the development of diagnostic agents for medical tests and the beginnings of gene therapy for correcting the medical symptoms of hereditary diseases. The societal implications of pharmaceutical biotechnology are similarly widespread, ranging from many ethical issues of identifying and treating various hereditary diseases, to changes in healthcare practices and a significant contribution to national economic development.
Pharmacogenomics is the study of genes and the gene products (proteins) essential for pharmacological or toxicological responses to pharmaceutical agents. Oligonucleotide-based DNA chip technology or cDNA microarray can be used to analyse gene expression profiles that are induced or repressed by xenobiotics. An attempt has been made to develop microarray genotyping system for multiplex analysis of a panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding proteins involved in blood pressure regulation and to apply this system in a pilot study demonstrating its feasibility in the pharmacogenetics of anti-hypertensive drug response.
This book has been designed for students of the undergraduate and postgraduate levels but would also be a useful guide for students in the subjects of medical sciences, biochemistry, biotechnology and pharmacological biotechnology.