The purpose of this volume of Methods in Molecular Medicine is to set forth examples of the great variety of techniques and applications that are now emerging in the field of nonviral gene therapy. The book emphasizes not only specific approaches to gene delivery but, in particular, the best current me- ods to prepare, handle, and characterize gene delivery agents. These topics are of very broad importance since gene therapy evolves from its mostly ac- emy-based experimental and clinical research to the ever increasing number of industry-driven programs directed toward commercial development....

The term muscular dystrophy (MD) describes a group of primary genetic disorders of muscle that often have a distinctive and recognizable clinical p- notype, accompanied by characteristic, but frequently not pathognomonic, pathological features. Research into the molecular basis of the MDs by a c- bination of positional cloning and candidate gene analysis has provided the basis for a reclassification of these disorders, with genetic and protein data augmenting traditional clinically based nomenclature. These findings have brought insights into the molecular pathogenesis of MD, with an...

The era of molecular pathology has arrived. From its promising beg- nings in research laboratories, the field has grown, and continues to grow, to become a vital part of the care of an ever-increasing number of patients. Because of its recent emergence from the research taboratory, many molecuIar pathology protocols we still to be found in the primary litcramre, and have not appeared in a text. MO PCU Q Padhoiogy Protocob contains la- ratory protocoIs that have been developed by many of the authors for use in clinical molecular pathology laboratories and describe in detail Row to perform...

Research into gluten sensitivity has never been more popular nor more exciting. Thus a call for a new book, Celiac Disease: Methods and Protocols, devoted entirely to techniques and technology seemed a most appropriate undertaking. I am therefore grateful to Professor J. M. Walker for inviting me to complete this task for Humana Press. To do this would have been imp- sible without the contributions of friends and colleagues from around the world who have devoted so much interest to the project. It has also been necessary for them to master the unique chapter-writing skills required of every...

Metastasis Research Protocols describes in detail all the methods needed to investigate why and how metastasis occurs. Volume I presents a comprehensive collection of established and leading-edge techniques for analyzing the expression of key molecules and for examining their production at the genetic level. Volume I focuses on the analysis and mapping of molecules produced by cells and tissues, and on the molecular biology underlying their expression. The traditional methods range from the histopathological and the immunocytochemical to SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and enzyme zymography....

An outstanding collection of detailed, state-of-the-art techniques for studying many aspects of nervous system cell biology. The methods span a multidisciplinary range of cellular and molecular approaches to both normal and injured nervous system function, and particularly to neurodegenerative processes. Included are basic RT-PCR techniques, cell culture systems, second-messenger signaling methods, and patch-clamp techniques. These powerful techniques will illuminate nervous system function, injury, degeneration, and the repair/regenerative process.

The process of metastasis formation is hugely complex, as described in the introductory chapter of this book, and this complexity has led us to compile two volumes of methods, from a vastly divergent background that attempts to encompass the whole spectrum of cancer biology. This first volume, Metastasis Research Protocols: Analysis of Cells and Tissues, concentrates on analysis and mapping of molecules produced by cells and tissues and analysis of the molecular biology underlying their expression, whereas the second volume, Metastasis Research Protocols: Cell Behavior In Vitro and In Vivo,...

Pulsed electric fields have been applied to living systems in vitro for a host of delivery applications since the early 1980s. It has been established that the primary effect that electrical treatment has on cells is an induced increase in the permeability of membranes to exogenous molecules. This state of increased permeability was noted to be temporary and could be induced with little or no effect on cell viability. This physical phenomenon was termed electroporation. Numerous published studies have shown that electroporation can be applied to any cell type. These studies also exploited the...

There is now a range of cytotoxic drugs that have considerable clinical usefulness in producing responses in tumors and even, in a small proportion of cases, cure. However, the acquisition of drug resistance is a major clinical problem and is perhaps the main limiting factor in successful treatment of cancer. Thus, a tumor initially sensitive to chemotherapy will, in the majority of cases, eventually recur as a resistant tumor, which will then progress. Much of our understanding of drug resistance mechanisms comes from the study of tumor cell lines grown in tissue culture. We now understand...

Aging is an almost universal process within biological systems, one which leads to a decline in functional capacity, disease onset, and eventually death. There has been much interest in recent years to elucidate the molecular mec- nisms that underlie the aging process. Many theories have been proposed since the last century that aim to explain the causes of aging. There is no one theory that completely satisfies the phenotype of aging, but genetics and environm- tal factors play an important role in the etiology of age-related pathologies and the aging process. However, there is still much to...