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book reviews

discussed in the different chapters comparing the new technological methods to the conventional laboratory approaches. In addition to the diagnosis o f inherited diseases and prenatal diagnosis, Part II of the book describes the use o fmAbs in the diagnosis of infections and onco-haematological diseases, and contrasts these techniques with classical diagnostic methods.

The book is well designed and the sequence of chapters is logical.

Although the topics are not discussed in detail, the principles of the techniques used in the laboratory are described with the aid of figures. The text also gives an interesting discussion of the potential artefacts and pitfalls o f the different tests and proposes how the technology will develop in the future.

Overall, despite the lack of any detailed coverage, I certainly recommend this book to scientists,

medical students and general practitioners. It represents a new tool to bridge the gap between basic biomedical sciences and the application ofbiotechnology to clinical practice.

Alberto Albertlni Cattedra di Chimica Applicata alle

Scienze Biomediche, Universit~ degli Studi di Bresica,

Via Valsabbina n 19, 25123 Bresica, Italy.

Genetic engineering Genetic Engineering: Vol. 15 Principles and Methods

edited by Jane Setlow, Plenum Press, 1993. US$69.50 (xviii + 247pages) ISBN 0 306 44526 3

This series aims to follow closely the explosion of new techniques and information that is occurring in the wide field of molecular biology. Although the title o f the book suggests it covers principles and methods in genetic engineering, the contents o f the 11 chapters in this volume do not fitly reflect this. Although every chapter is well written and superbly referenced, the text tends to be biased towards reviews of the authors' fields, rather than practical discussions.

Taken on its own, the book does not seem to have any common theme: For example, although the slant is rather biased towards plant genetics (five chapters), the topics jump from discussions on computer neural networks for predicting protein structures (which ~ be beyond the comprehension of most readers) to improvements of the nutritional value of maize seeds, to microparticle infection of D N A into cells. Furthermore, I was disappointed that almost 25% of the book was devoted to a blow-by-

blow discussion of the origins, structure and functions of restriction-modification enzymes. Although these are central to the growth in molecular biology, restriction-modification enzymes are used as tools for D N A manipulation and a much shorter chapter would have been more applicable.

However, taken as a series of books (which have been following the growth of genetic engineering by publishing updated volumes on an annual basis since 1979), this volume adds to, and complements, the wide range of topics previously covered. The complete set of volumes would be ideal as a source of references and reviews.

Jonathan Murphy Public Health Laboratory Service Centre for Applied Microbiology

and Research, Division of Biotechnology,

Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK SP40JG.

An experimental introduction to genetic engineering

Genetic Engineering

byJ. G.,: VVilliams, A. Ceccarelli and N. Spurr, BIOS Scientific Publishers, 1993. UK;~14.00/US$28.00 (x + 132pages) ISBN 1 872748 75 9

There is no doubt that any serious biologist, chemist and clinician cannot survive without at least a basic grasp of the fundamentals of molecular genetics. It is with such individuals in mind (in particular the latter) that Williams et al. have set out to provide a gentle but rigorous introduction to the

concepts and technology involved in genetic engineering.

It is surely a duty of all practising molecular biologists to welcome novices into the fold, and to kindle their enthusiasm for this remarkable field of science. Genetic engineering is itself a discipline that combines a need for logical thought

and an aptitude for practical biochemistry. It is the practice of genetic engineering that forms the core of this text. The authors have chosen to introduce the subject by means of a stepwise series of analytical experiments to determine the structure and function of genes in both bacteria and higher organisms. There is an emphasis throughout on applied aspects o f genetic engineering, which will undoubtedly ensure that not only clinicians (for w h o m the text is primarily written), but also biotechnology managers and interested lay people will find the book useful and accessible.

The book begins with a crash course in the comparative structure of the genetic material in bacteria and eukaryotes, with an emphasis on the maturation o f m R N A and

TIBTECH JUNE 1994 (VOL 12)