The GMO Handbook: Genetically
Modified Animals, Microbes, and Plants in Biotechnology
Sarad R. Parekh,
Editor
Humana Press,
Totowa, NJ
2004, 386 pp.
Price: $145
(hardcover), $130 (eBook)
ISBN:
1-58829-307-6
With
breathtaking advances in biotechnology occurring monthly rather than
yearly, how can a handbook devoted to genetic engineering be up to date?
The answer, of course, is that it can’t. Any book on genetic engineering
is out of date as soon as it is published. So, what is the value of
The GMO Handbook: Genetically Modified Animals, Microbes, and Plants in
Biotechnology? The editor, Sarad R. Parekh, and the 13 authors have
attempted to provide readers with a comprehensive starting point from
which to understand genetic engineering and biotechnology, and they have
largely succeeded.
As its title
implies, this book is about technology, not basic scientific research.
It does not provide comprehensive discussion of basic research in
molecular and cellular biology. Technology is the practical use of
science, and this book is firmly grounded in that framework.
Part handbook,
part scholarly text, and part textbook, the book is divided into three
major sections: microbial GMOs, mammalian GMOs, and plant GMOs. It also
contains a useful glossary and index, and introduction and conclusion
chapters. Despite the numerous spelling and grammatical errors, the
editor has done an admirable job of making the multiauthored book flow
from one chapter to another.
The authors,
many of whom are employed by the private sector, clearly are experts
within their subject fields. In particular, the authors who are
private-sector biotechnologists give their chapters a refreshingly real
perspective. These are not academics holed up in ivy-covered university
buildings; rather, they are on the front lines, succeeding in creating
products based on advances in the biosciences. Chapters cover strengths
and limitations in protein production and purification in different
cell, tissue, and organism types. Regulatory and business issues also
are discussed. As such, these chapters will appeal to individuals who
need information on how to proceed from an idea or small laboratory
success to commercial reality.
But the book
does much more than appeal to aspiring biotechnologists. Each part
contains a chapter dealing with the interface of biotechnology with the
public. The authors expertly discuss the manifold challenges when
science meets society. Not only are biosafety, risk assessment, and
regulation discussed for microbes, animals, and plants; but ethics and
public perceptions are also examined in depth. These topics effectively
expand the audience to include all appropriately educated individuals
with an interest in biotechnology.
The editor
gives conflicting statements about the intended audience for this book.
In the preface, he states, “The handbook targets a unique range of
scientists. Young researchers beginning their undergraduate- and
graduate-level studies will benefit from the ability to see the full
range of techniques and applications used to culture and analyze animal,
microbial, and plant GMOs.” In the introductory chapter, he and his
coauthor state, “The chapters of this book are crafted to provide a
how-to handbook and provide the layperson with up-to-date information on
recent developments in GMOs and their future directions.” A quick glance
through the book immediately reveals that this book’s audience is the
practicing scientist or apprentice scientist (advanced undergraduate and
graduate students). The material is too technically complex even for
midlevel biology undergraduates, let alone laypersons.
The handbook
succeeds in providing scientists and advanced science and engineering
students with a starting point for understanding biotechnology. As such,
it should be on the shelves of most public and private research
libraries around the world. Additionally, many of the chapters could
serve as excellent readings for a variety of advanced courses. Given the
extremely rapid pace of progress in biotechnology, the editor and
publisher should consider publishing future additions online at regular
intervals.
Robert K. D.
Peterson and Leslie M. Shama
Agricultural &
Biological Risk Assessment
Montana State
University, Bozeman, MT
406-994-7927
bpeterson@montana.edu
American Entomologist
Vol. 51, No.3, Fall 2005 |
