Molecular and Cell Biology of Human Diseases

Recent advances in molecular biological and associated cell biological technology have made skeletal muscle disease a particularly important and exciting area of research. "Molecular and Cell Biology of Muscular Dystrophy" gives a series of accounts on various aspects of the remarkable breakthrough which has been achieved in our understanding of the Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophies and of the consequences and ramifications of this breakthrough. A number of articles address the matter of how molecular biological technology can advance the cell biology of skeletal muscle and the possible applications of this knowledge of therapy. Current research literature describing the advances being made in molecular and cell biological research is quite incomprehensible to the majority of clinical neurologists, paediatricians and many basic scientists with marginal interests in muscle disease, being based on disciplines remote from their training and being heavily laden with acronyms and jargon. This book attempts to remedy this problem by presenting the prototype example of the "reverse genetic" approach as applied to Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy in a generally intelligible manner and by exploring its far-reaching practical consequences in both clinical diagnosis and in research. "Molecular and Cell Biology of Muscular Dystrophy" provides access to the topic for academics from a number of disciplines in which muscle function and malfunction is a major interest, eg neurologists, paediatricians, physiologists, biochemists and biologists. This book should be of interest to graduate students and researchers in clinical biochemistry, molecular medicine, neuroscience and clinicians in neurology.