Product Description
In the past half century, filamentous fungi have grown in commercial importance not only in the food industry but also as sources of pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of infectious and metabolic diseases and of specialty proteins and enzymes used to process foods, fortify detergents, and perform biotransformations. The commercial impact of molds is also measured on a negative scale since some of these organisms are significant as pathogens of crop plants, agents of food spoilage, and sources of toxic and carcinogenic compounds. Recent advances in the molecular genetics of filamentous fungi are finding increased application in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and enzyme industries, and this trend promises to continue as the genomics of fungi is explored and new techniques to speed genetic manipulation become available.This volume focuses on the filamentous fungi and highlights the advances of the past decade, both in methodology and in the understanding of genomic organization and regulation of gene and pathway expression. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Biotech Investor, San Francisco Chronicle biotechnology reporter Tom Abate explains the science, finances, time horizon, and technological and commercial potential of this burgeoning industry. Abate provides guidelines for assessing company leadership, easy-to-digest reports from the labs, and indispensable investor tools and metrics. He shares strategies for - tracking the effect of breaking news and the NASDAQ - anticipating drug trial announcements and FDAapprovals - assessing the potential market, patent rights, and distribution deals for a drug He looks beyond medicine to biotech-related opportunities in everything from agriculture to jean manufacturing to software development. The Biotech Investor is the comprehensive, expert source for successful and intelligent investing in one of the twenty-first century's most promising industries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If you are an investor looking at biotech, you should read this book
As our population ages, there are more opportunities for companies involved in treating diseases. Companies in the biotech industry have a bright future. But, the author says that investing in biotech is risky. This is understandable because the firms in this industry rely heavily on innovation. New discoveries can make current products obsolete. Many investors lost money investing in these companies because they do not understand the industry and individual companies.

I liked how the author distinguished between high-tech and biotech companies. Successful high-tech companies develop valuable networks. For example, Microsoft has a network of software developers who tailor their programs to run on Windows. Biotech, on the other hand, is an industry of niches. The industry is complicated compared with other industries. However, the author did a good job making it more understandable to readers.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

Biotech Investor
Very good book on the unique concepts of biotech investing.It covers all areas and would be useful for beginners or advanced investors.

Well structured and interesting
An excellent introduction to biotech investing.

Tom Abate is a good writer and knows his subject.I thought this book was written in a guarded, pragmatic way that suits the reader's purpose (presumably investment).The dustjacket shouts of a 'coming boom' but the author can be forgiven for what is basically puffery.Abate is clearly arguing for a period of drawn out growth fuelled by demographics and accelerating technical progress - not an imminent goldrush.

I gained a number of insights I consider valuable:
-An understanding of the mechanism of FDA approval and how companies manage themselves around it.
-The fluid business models of existing companies.
-The way in which institutional fund managers seem to advocate active trading over a 'buy and hold' approach to biotech portfolios (this surprised me).

Timely, relevant and convincingly argued.I'd probably buy another book by this author.

A strong dose of reality to the often hype driven sector
Tom Abate has been covered the Biotech industry for the San Francisco Chronicle for years. It shows. He brings a strong dose of reality to this hype driven sector.

Who this book is for:
-Independent investors willing to spend a lot of time doing research
-People looking for a current industry overview
-Job seekers

The Good:
-Extremely well written
-Up to Date (as of spring 2003)
-Knowledgeable - several small tidbits of data pay for the book by themselves

The Bad:
-Will quickly go out of date. For example the Appendix contains a list of firm websites and market caps; Market Caps change - companies disappear.
-Not enough FDA information. This should have been a separate chapter covering the FDA approval process in detail as well as other countries' processes.
-Too much basic investment advice: firm valuation/free cash flow/ portfolio theory / investor risk profile. Other books do a better, more thorough job of this.
-No bibliography

I gave it 5 stars because if you are going to invest in biotech the book will more than pay for itself. ... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on the period between the 1970s and the present, Life as Surplus is a pointed and important study of the relationship between politics, economics, science, and cultural values in the United States today. Melinda Cooper demonstrates that the history of biotechnology cannot be understood without taking into account the simultaneous rise of neoliberalism as a political force and an economic policy. From the development of recombinant DNA technology in the 1970s to the second Bush administration's policies on stem cell research, Cooper connects the utopian polemic of free-market capitalism with growing internal contradictions of the commercialized life sciences.

The biotech revolution relocated economic production at the genetic, microbial, and cellular level. Taking as her point of departure the assumption that life has been drawn into the circuits of value creation, Cooper underscores the relations between scientific, economic, political, and social practices. In penetrating analyses of Reagan-era science policy, the militarization of the life sciences, HIV politics, pharmaceutical imperialism, tissue engineering, stem cell science, and the pro-life movement, the author examines the speculative impulses that have animated the growth of the bioeconomy.

At the very core of the new post-industrial economy is the transformation of biological life into surplus value. Life as Surplus offers a clear assessment of both the transformative, therapeutic dimensions of the contemporary life sciences and the violence, obligation, and debt servitude crystallizing around the emerging bioeconomy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Highly recommended
Insightful, innovative, highly readable, though at times dense. Cooper provides a novel analysis of the encounter between neoliberal innovation economies, biotechnology and the religious right. The strength of the book lies in its theoretical rigour and historical detail. It also advances some provocative ideas about the nature of neoliberal economics, namely that its long-term success is fed by its own regulation/deregulation dynamics. ... Read more

Product Description

To succeed in the lab, it is crucial to be comfortable with the math calculations that are part of everyday work. This accessible introduction to common laboratory techniques focuses on the basics, helping even readers with good math skills to practice the most frequently encountered types of problems. 

Discusses very common laboratory problems, all applied to real situations. Explores multiple strategies for solving problems for a better understanding of the underlying math. Includes hundreds of practice problems, all with solutions and many with boxed, complete explanations; plus hundreds of “story problems” relating to real situations in the lab.

 MARKET: A useful review for biotechnology laboratory professionals.

Customer Reviews (1)

Lab Calculations for Biotechnology
This book is excellent! I gives you very good detailed examples as well as the answers and how to work through the calculation. If you need the book Amazon is the place! ... Read more

Product Description
This important volume commences with an overview of the modes of action of defensive secondary metabolites, followed by detailed surveys of chemical defense in marine ecosystems, the biochemistry of induced defense, plant-microbe interactions and medical applications. A chapter is also included covering biotechnological aspects of producing valuable secondary metabolites in plant cell and organ cultures. This is a comprehensive and fully updated new edition, edited by Professor Michael Wink and including contributions from many internationally acknowledged experts in the field. ... Read more

Product Description
Calculations in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: A Guide to Mathematics in the Laboratory is the first comprehensive guide devoted exclusively to calculations encountered in the genetic engineering laboratory. Mathematics, as a vital component of the successful design and interpretation of basic research, is used daily in laboratory work. This guide, written for students, technicians, and scientists, provides example calculations for the most frequently confronted problems encountered in gene discovery and analysis.The text and sample calculations are written in an easy-to-follow format. It is the perfect laboratory companion for anyone working in DNA manipulation and analysis.

*A comprehensive guide to calculations for a wide variety of problems encountered in the basic research laboratory.
* Example calculations are worked through from start to finish in easy-to-follow steps
* Key chapters devoted to calculations encountered when working with bacteria, phage, PCR, radioisotopes, recombinant DNA, centrifugation, oligonucleotides, protein, and forensic science.
*Written for students and laboratory technicians but a useful reference for the more experienced researcher.
*A valuable teaching resource. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Basic
This book was really simplistic.For freshman, it is ok, for the practice.

A Calculator and This Book on Every Lab Bench
.
For most of my entry-level biotechnology students, it's not the science, it's the math.

Adults and students in my three-year biotechnology pathway (San Mateo Biotechnology Career Pathway) have weak, incomplete or dated math backgrounds.Dr. Stephenson's "Calculations for Molecular Biology anf Biotechnology" quickly and clearly explains and demonstrates how to make the most common calculations done in biotechnology research and manufacturing.

In a conversational way, that puts users of all levels at ease, the book does a particularly good job of presenting text in small, digestible amounts with practice problems and answers directly following.

For my program, Chapter 1 (Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes) and Chapter 2 (Solutions, Mixtures, and Media) are excellent reviews and remediation of calculations taught in the first semester's standard lab training.

Other chapters include several sections that are used or could be used as reference for my second and third year students.Some of these include bacterial growth curves and cell culture concentrations (Chapter 3), DNA Quantitation using spectrophotometers and gels (Chapter 5), PCR reactants concentration and preparation (Chapter 8), Protein Quantitation using spectrophotometry (Chapter 10), and Data Analysis (Chapter 12).

One of the things I like best about the book is that there are so many topics presented that my students have proposed several new research ideas utilizing the techniques and calculations presented.

I recommend this book as a reference for technicians, researchers, students, and teachers who work or are training to work in biotechnology labs or manufacturing facilities. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume helps to fill the void in life science entrepreneurship and management case books and provides faculty and students with not only the charts, but the simulated experience of sailing the turbulent and exciting oceans of the biomedical industry toward creating significant value for patients and society. ... Read more

Product Description
In this volume, leading scholars tackle the debate over intellectual property rights in high-technology industries and express their views on how to improve the current system. ... Read more

Product Description
Talk of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) has moved from the hushed corridors of life science corporations to the front pages of the world's major newspapers. As Europeans began rejecting genetically engineered foods in the marketplace, the StarLink corn incident exploded in the United States and farmers set fire to genetically modified crops in India. Citizens and consumers have become increasingly aware of and troubled by the issues surrounding these new technologies. Considering cases from agriculture, food, forestry, and pharmaceuticals, this book examines some of the most pressing questions raised by genetic engineering. What determines whether GEOs enter the food supply, and how are such decisions being made? How is the biotechnology industry using its power to reshape food, fiber, and pharmaceutical production, and how are citizen-activists challenging these initiatives? And what are the social and political consequences of global differences over GEOs? ... Read more

Product Description
In response to the field's need for an introductory text, theauthors have distilled the vast and scattered literature relating tothebiotechnology of microbial secondary metabolites. Generalbiology,biosynthesis, the search for novel metabolites, andtechniques forstrain improvement are all discussed to provideundergraduate andgraduate students with a concise, readable overviewof the field. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a guide to the "big picture" of biotechnology law and business, presenting and analyzing the issues that arise throughout the life cycle of the biotechnology product. The book focuses primarily on the pharmaceutical field, from university research through the development process and into the marketplace.The aim of the book is to provide guidance to the biotechnology legal and business communities by providing a practical and integrated discussion of the many different topics that arise in developing biotechnology products. It is intended to be used by I.P. lawyers, FDA lawyers, business lawyers and biotech executives who want a concise introduction to the most fundamental issues in biotechnology law and business. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Overview
Some of the most exciting, complex and dynamic issues facing society today are found at the intricate and, at times, uncertain interface marking the rapidly evolving boundaries of law and biotechnology. Within the maelstrom defined by present day societal, ethical and scientific forces, the appropriate application and guidance of a well reasoned legal structure is critical to fostering and maintaining a biotechnology paradigm that is both functional and, on the whole, beneficial to mankind.Yet, while the present legal and regulatory framework has worked reasonably well in addressing the issues of the biotechnology industry to this point, the challenges facing the system are greater than ever before.Simply by picking up today's paper one is confronted by a litany of ethical (cloning, embryonic stem cells), regulatory (biogeneric legislation, genetic therapy) and economic/business (scope of intellectual property protection, reimbursement rates) issues that are often contentious, ill defined and overlapping. To appreciate the ramifications of these and other challenges facing the industry, it is necessary to understand the current structure as well as the source of future pressure points.Fortunately, Bob Bohrer's book, A Guide to Biotechnology Law and Business does an excellent job, both in explaining the many facets of the present legal and regulatory system governing the biotechnology industry and in exploring the open issues and forces that are influencing its evolution.

Lucid, intelligent, balanced and comprehensive, the book is written both for the professional in the industry and for the educated layman in something akin to a Scientific American format. As explained by the author "The book is intended to provide `the big picture' to everyone interested or involved in the biotechnology industry."As one in the industry, I find the Guide to be an admirable first line reference for areas in which I have a need for a detailed understanding but not a need to develop an expertise (e.g. regulatory matters).

Starting out with an interesting overview and using applied examples, the book quickly brings in the role of the legal system (and lawyers) in biotech lifecycle management and implementation of strategy.Following a short technical discussion of the scientific basis for biotech products are relatively detailed explanations of the university tech transfer process and the role of intellectual property in biotechnology.While going through the legal structure, both subjects are enlivened with practical examples that provide a "real world" feel and understanding much deeper (and less dry) than the typical legal treatise.The book then moves into the legal process concerning two of the more interesting "big picture" questions surrounding any business: how to get the money and how to make money.As one in the industry I can't tell you how much time, effort, blood and tears go into these efforts.Here the chapters on business strategy and biotech financing, again with practical illustrations, struck me as comprehensive and provided an excellent overview.This was followed by two very readable and complete descriptions of one of the more critical areas in biotechnology, the regulatory process.In what I found to be one of the most useful sections of the book, the chapters provide a relatively clear description of what has been a confusing legislative history and untangle the present web of overlapping regulations.Finally, the author concludes with a series of chapters on current ethical and regulatory issues that leave the reader contemplating where the industry is heading.


All in all a highly exciting and readable book for anyone interested in obtaining a detailed overview of the biotechnology industry.I would highly recommend it.

A disclaimer:I am a former law student of the professor's and a long time acquaintance. At the present I am an intellectual property attorney with a major biopharmaceutical company.

Great Resource
Professor Bohrer's Guide to Biotechnology Law and Business is a great resource for professionals that work in the junction of law and biotechnology.While it is a must read for those new to this area, it is also a great reference tool for seasoned professionals.This book fills an important need and should be in every biotechnology professional's reference library. ... Read more

Product Description

Listen to a short interview with Robert Paarlberg
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane

Heading upcountry in Africa to visit small farms is absolutely exhilarating given the dramatic beauty of big skies, red soil, and arid vistas, but eventually the two-lane tarmac narrows to rutted dirt, and the journey must continue on foot. The farmers you eventually meet are mostly women, hardworking but visibly poor. They have no improved seeds, no chemical fertilizers, no irrigation, and with their meager crops they earn less than a dollar a day. Many are malnourished.

Nearly two-thirds of Africans are employed in agriculture, yet on a per-capita basis they produce roughly 20 percent less than they did in 1970. Although modern agricultural science was the key to reducing rural poverty in Asia, modern farm science—including biotechnology—has recently been kept out of Africa.

In Starved for Science Robert Paarlberg explains why poor African farmers are denied access to productive technologies, particularly genetically engineered seeds with improved resistance to insects and drought. He traces this obstacle to the current opposition to farm science in prosperous countries. Having embraced agricultural science to become well-fed themselves, those in wealthy countries are now instructing Africans—on the most dubious grounds—not to do the same.

In a book sure to generate intense debate, Paarlberg details how this cultural turn against agricultural science among affluent societies is now being exported, inappropriately, to Africa. Those who are opposed to the use of agricultural technologies are telling African farmers that, in effect, it would be just as well for them to remain poor.

Customer Reviews (4)

Starved for Science or Hungry for the Truth?
Robert Paarlberg provides his panacea for global poverty and hunger in his latest book Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept out of Africa.Through the book, Paarlberg constructs a well supported and polarizing argument describing how genetically modified (GM) agriculture can alleviate Africa's widespread hunger, yet the technology is being denied to those that most need it.He provides extensive support for his points, sometimes at the expense of being redundant in order to fully back his claims, yet the writing in general is captivating and better attention retaining than most scientific writing.

Paarlberg characterizes the global great skepticism and even fear of GM agriculture, in part due to the fact that westerncountries are rich and do not need further agricultural science to ensure sufficient food supplies (which has contributed to a decrease in public sector agricultural research and foreign assistance overall#.Paarlberg goes on to describe how the general aversion has been projected onto African leaders causing them to reject the food their countrymen need so badly.Paarlberg cites unfounded propaganda of the dangers of genetically modified organisms #GMOs), international trade standards, and the threat of rescindment of financial assistance by European governments and NGOs as the leverage used to exert their influence on African leaders, vilifying the governments, lobbyists, and NGOs alike in the process.

Yet the debate is not so clear cut.Paarlberg dramatically reproaches an unsubstantiated global opposition towards GMOs, saying that there has yet to be any evidence presented to suggest their potential dangers and thus no scientific justification for their rejection.However, while some have agreed with Paarlberg that GM foods are safe, it is not due to lack of evidence to the contrary.If anything, the reality is that there is far from a clear conclusion on the matter.Paarlberg also neglects any mention of the substantial political support for GM agriculture.He asserts that genetic engineering is the `all or nothing' solution excluding several non-GM approaches and grossly generalizing the African continent.

Paarlberg's book brings a great deal of awareness to a situation many would otherwise know nothing about, and one which may hold the key to Africa's future.Genetic modification is a subject that is in general plagued by stigma and politics and it is important that the debate be brought to light in order to make well informed progress.Thus, this book is an important read for anyone concerned with African development and relations, foreign policy, or agriculture, and furthermore for the population in general hoping to become more informed of the world around them.

It is equally important, however, that dogmatic stance and vilification of the opposition do more than sensationalizing the situation and instead provide a well balanced case.Readers should be aware that Paarlberg's book provides an excellent summary, but only of one side of the argument.Further reading is necessary to gain a full understanding of the situation.

Very narrow and pro-corporate view of science
The central premise of this book is that those who oppose the wholesale conversion of the world's vast agricultural biodiversity to a small handful of genetically modified commercial crop varieties are somehow anti-science.

Ecology is a science. It offers us numerous cautionary tales about simplistic interventions in complex systems. It suggests that a stable long term food system will utilize more rather than fewer species and varieties of plants. Greatly increasing the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would likely increase African yields in the short term, but it requires fossil fuel imputs that are clearly not sustainable and likely contributing to climate destabilization (a serious problem facing future Africans).

Ecology demonstrates why simplistic poisons, like Monsanto's RoundUp, don't offer long lasting control because weeds and insect pests evolve quickly in response to the extreme environmental pressures the poisons supply. In the brief history of GMO agriculture there is already considerable evidence of genetic adaptation by several important weed species.

Agriculture is a craft that has been developed in real world conditions over ten thousand years. In the phrase of British biologist Colin Tudge, what we need is 'science assisted craft', not the replacement of that essentially biological craft by a crude industrial technology.

The precautionary principle argues for testing new ideas more thoroughly and on a small scale because of the likelihood of unintended consequences. To think that growing our food with synthetic fertilizers and patented GMOs is more scientific than a broad based organic agriculture is akin to arguing that amphetamines provide more energy than bread.

Feels like half of the story
Robert Paarlberg (RP) seems sincere in his desire to help solve the problem of African hunger. Even though he advocates doing so using technologies owned by Monsanto, Synergen or Du Pont/Pioneer, he's candid that these companies aren't likely to win popularity contests. If, as some might suspect, the book is propaganda for those companies, it's unusually sophisticated. Nonetheless, I'm troubled by some of the book's argumentative techniques, and especially by its failure to engage with some pertinent issues. Even if sincerely motivated, it comes across less like a balanced book about policy and more like a legal brief, a style of writing in which you skate over or even ignore the weak points of your argument rather than confront them.

1. RP's argument focuses on the health and environmental aspects of using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for food. Europeans consumers don't see much benefit for those foods, and, according to surveys, are even more ignorant than Americansabout the science behind them. Moreover, the EU has adopted an unusually rigorous precautionary approach to regulating the foods, contrasted with the American one, which is more welcoming. Europe is much closer in psychological as well as physical distance to Africa than is the US, is more commercially connected to African agriculture, and also supplies 3x as much aid as the US. Consequently, the European approach to impeding the spread of GMOs by regulation has been the role model for African governments -- even though, in RP's view, African countries (i) need GMOs to feed their people and (ii) are pretty lax in regulating everything else. NGOs that are opposed to Green Revolution-style agriculture, which uses a lot of fertilizers, make things worse. So does the World Bank, which has cut back drastically on agricultural aid. Nonetheless, African governments themselves must shoulder much of the blame, for their "curious failure" to invest in science-based agriculture (e.g., @84).

2. Here's where some odd omissions begin. (A) RP alludes in passing to the World Bank's shift to structural reform in lieu of direct aid. He also mentions that many African countries export crops grown for European consumers. And he mentions the "curious failure" to invest. But he doesn't connect the dots. For many years, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund forced debtor governments to prioritize debt repayment. Exports were necessary to earn dollars and other foreign currencies to pay off Western lenders. Payments to farmers, and investment in agricultural and transportation infrastructure fell precipitously as a result. (See, e.g., Walden Bello's article in The Nation, 2008/05/15.) The "curious failure" was due at least in part to pressure from Western financial institutions. Nor does RP mention the impact of the WTO and other regional trade treaties on local agriculture in poorer countries, which had to open their economies to imports esp. from the US. To say nothing of the civil wars, government corruption and other problems in Africa that might distract governments from agricultural policy. I don't understand why he omits these subjects, since they don't necessarily detract from his theory of EU influence.

(B) On the other hand, his discussion of issues relating to intellectual property rights (IPR) is less forthright. He dismisses the issue by claiming that most companies are willing to license royalty-free in the poorest countries since the money they could make is so small (@115). But in fact this wasn't Monsanto's plan for a bigger-market product, GMO drought-tolerant maize; their generosity manifested itself instead in their lobbying to get paid from the deep pockets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (see @174). (Even if markets in Africa are small, the IPR issue is especially sensitive in countries that have huge poor populations, like China and India. RP points out that multinationals have licensed GMO technologies to local joint ventures in those countries; that isn't the same thing as letting farmers off the hook from buying seeds plus Monsanto fertilizer each year. He also doesn't mention the increasing number of suicides by small farmers in India associated with the spread of GMO cotton cultivation, which has been documented by V. Shiva and others.)

RP omits any mention of the WTO's highly controversial TRIPS agreement, which requires member countries to recognize GMO patents. He also omits any mention of the UPOV agreement on plant varieties, and the pressures the US and other OECD countries bring to bear for "TRIPS+" provisions (i.e., provisons that provide even stronger IPR protection than TRIPS -- thereby benefiting the "1st World" country) when negotiating bilateral treaties. See e.g. the outstanding volume edited by G. Tansey and T. Rajotte, "The Future Control of Food" (Earthscan 2008). See also the work of John Barton at Stanford Law School, who has shown that these treaty provisions tend to benefit only multinationals, and not local biotech industries. RP himself supplies the astonishing figures that while US farmers get 20% of the "economic surplus" from GMO soybeans, Monsanto itself gets 45% of this surplus (@34). That's a recommendation?

3. Some of RP's other arguments amount to little more than name-calling. Those who oppose GMO crops because of the involvement of multinationals are labeled "agrarian romantics and populists" (@79). The ranks of the proponents of organic food and opponents of chemical use also include a "former hippie" (@62), an "accountant who grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan" (@72), a "thorough mystic" who believed in Atlantis (@id.), a "graduate of a Quaker college in Indiana" (@104), and an "aquatic biologist [and] literary celebrity" who just happened to be Rachel Carson. Credible critics like Carson and Jim Hightower (whom RP does at least call "talented" @69) are inserted into a parade of putative amateurs and loonies, for a kind of guilt by association. The notion that hunger is not caused by a shortage of food is called "the Greenpeace line" (@105); you won't find any mention in this book of the first person to put forward this idea and to provide evidence to support it, 1998 Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (see, e.g., Sen's classic "Poverty and Famines" (Oxford UP 1981)). On the other side of the divide is rational science, as represented by "innovators" Monsanto & al.(@33), and by a "scientific consensus" evidenced by citations to just 2 articles (@29-30).

4. RP's argument that European attitudes have influenced policy in Africa is quite plausible. But it's also only part of the story. RP quotes an African activist as saying "Yes, we are starving, but we are saying no to the food the Americans are forcing on our throats" (@142). RP's response to this seems to be to shout "But that's not rational!," coupled with a kind of Freedom Fries discourse about the bad Europeans. By skating over the political issues related to trade and financial policy, he misses a chance to understand the African view as a rational political response to a history of US heavy-handedness. Nor does he offer any recommendations for how the US can reclaim influence in Africa, beyond a wistful "if only" sort of sentiment: If only those African governments would respect science and buy the great new stuff from our American corporate innovators... An interesting but ultimately frustrating book.

Truths beyond popular culture
Friday, June 13, 2008 - Feminist Review.org

As a mom who does what I can to buy organic food for my family, I completely understand the general distaste most of us have for genetically modified (GM) foods. The very thought of vegetables altered by scientists in labs seems creepy and somehow inherently wrong, doesn't it? But when I read Starved for Science, I quickly realized that such a romanticized and emotional standpoint in such a critical debate as starvation is not only uninformed, it is just plain irresponsible. I also realized that, whether we like it or not, most of us are already eating GM foods on a daily basis.

In plain language and with plentiful sources to back up his positions, Paarlberg describes how in first world countries, where food is plentiful and obesity more of a problem than starvation, people can afford to pine for the days of small neighborhood farms - and can turn up their noses at the agribusiness and subsequent science that has allowed us to take for granted having not only enough to eat, but a wide choice in what and where we get our food. In Europe, the negative public opinion toward genetically modified organisms (GMO's) has led to labeling and bans on imports suspected to be "contaminated" by genetically altered seeds. Greenpeace and many NGO's are working actively to keep African farmers on small plots of land using techniques that date back thousands of years, but to the detriment and hardship of those very farmers.

Paarlberg describes how rich countries have come to fear and dislike GMO's, stopping funding and support easily where food is in no shortage, and yet when it is convenient, still continue to fund their use in the pharmaceutical industry where a longevity benefit can be gained. And governments in African countries situated in urban areas that are highly influenced by European bias, both in cultural influence and monetary flow, follow suit. Therefore, they are not developing their own programs to find strains of seeds that could resist drought, and it isn't worth enough money to anyone else to do so for them.

The majority of small farms in Africa are currently run by women, as men often leave to find other jobs in mines or more urban areas to supplement family incomes. Children stay out of school to help with the farming, and they do it all with wooden tools and poorly fed animal labor. Green movements in China and India have brought these countries to a position where starvation in no longer such a pressing issue; however, in Africa the problem is worse than ever.

Paarlberg admits to having kept his research a bit under wraps until now, knowing the reaction he would get from his own circle of friends and colleagues. It could be said that being `socially conscious' has taken on certain assumptions (and presumptions) among the wealthier strata of our urban world with a borg-like uniformity, and in the case of poverty in Africa, maintaining a position of being purely organic could easily be likened to saying "let them eat cake."

Review by Jennifer M. Wilson ... Read more

Product Description
Biotechnology is the leading edge of scientific research and careers. Now, with Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology, your students can become familiar with the basic concepts, techniques and issues.
Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology contains twenty lessons:
Making Yogurt ,Invasive Species ,Making Kimchi,
GMO Pro, GMO Con
Yeast Fermentation
Bt, Borers, and Butterflies
Antibiotics from Nature
Do You Know What You re Eating?
Gel Electrophoresis
Building People
Running a Gel
To Clone, or Not to Clone?
Was It Alive?
The Community and Genetically Modified Foods
Oil Cleanup with Bacteria
Where Will the Money Go?
Enzymes
Forensics
Extracting DNA
Biotechnology Careers
Each lesson is an experiment designed to help students understand biotechnology's applications in agriculture, environmental protection, medicine, and manufacturing. Throughout the book, they'll explore how biotechnology is as venerable a process as the making of cheese, and as new a technique as extracting DNA from living tissue. They'll also investigate bioethics and examine possible careers in the field.

Use Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology as a complete introductory program, as a replacement unit, or as an enrichment experience.
Each activity includes teacher notes, materials lists, and assessments.
Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology correlates to National Science Education standards.
This title is part of the Hands-On Physical Science series. ... Read more

Product Description
This book offers a comprehensive review of the prospects for a wide range of food ingredients produced using biotechnology. ... Read more

Product Description
The third edition of the acclaimed Manual of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology reviews the newest techniques, approaches, and options in the use of microorganisms and other cell culture systems for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes and proteins, foods and beverages, fuels and fine chemicals, and other products. Readers will find a rich array of methods and discussions of productive microbial processes, with means for improving the organism, the process, and the product. Cell cultures based on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms are examined, including thorough coverage of mammalian cell culture. Genetics, strain improvement, genetic engineering, and bioprospecting are discussed with regard to a wide variety of organisms and processes. Focusing on the latest advances and findings that have brought us to the current state of the art and science, this edition features an entire new section devoted to the microbial production of biofuels and fine chemicals, as well as a stronger emphasis on mammalian cell culture methods. Many chapters review the latest genomic and other "omics" approaches.The book covers new methods that enhance the capacity of microbes used for a wide range of purposes, from winemaking to pharmaceuticals to bioremediation, at volumes from micro- to industrial scale. The editors have enlisted a multidisciplinary group of experts to serve as authors, including microbial ecologists, physiologists, geneticists, biochemists, molecular biologists, and biochemical engineers. Their contributions are based not only on a thorough evaluation of the primary literature, but also on the authors' own invaluable firsthand experience in industrial microbiology and biotechnology. Readers will find significant new insights into the development of industrial microbiology and biotechnology processes and products.Key Features * Presents the state of the technology in the isolation and screening of microorganisms for the production of novel secondary metabolites and enzymes * Sets forth genetic and molecular genetic methods to improve the production of microbial products * Offers a broad range of methods to genetically engineer the biosynthesis of important industrial enzymes, proteins, and secondary metabolites * Describes the latest technology for the microbial production of fuels and fine chemicals * Brings readers fully up to date on the latest microbial, mammalian, and other cell culture methods ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good book
It is a good book for both new and experienced researcher in biosciences. Reading this book had exposed me to many areas and important findings related to biotechnology. And had been the first reference for me when Ifaced many difficult problems.

An excellent book to collect. ... Read more

Product Description
Biotechnology is one of the major new technologies of the twenty-first century that covers multi-disciplinary issues, including DNA techniques, cloning, genetics, and the application of microbiology to the production of goods. It continues to revolutionize the treatments of many diseases, and it is used to deal with environmental solutions. The Biotechnology Procedures and Experiments Handbook provides practicing professionals and biotechnology students over 150 applied, up-to-date laboratory techniques and experiments related to modern topics such as recombinant DNA, electrophoresis, stem cell research, genetic engineering, microbiology, tissue culture, and more. Each lab technique Includes: 1) a principle, 2) the necessary reagents, 3) a step by step procedure, and 4) a final result. Also included is a section that shows how to avoid potential pitfalls of a specific experiment. The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM containing simulations, MATLAB applications, videos, white papers, and other relevant material to biotechnology. Features *Presents a descriptive overview of each subject prior to the experiment or technique *Covers DNA, microbiology, genetic engineering, tissue culture (plant/animal), etc. *Sequentially links experiments to provide a project approach to biotechnology *Accompanied by a CD-ROM containing simulations, figures, white papers, Web sites and numerous other resources. Separate instructors' CD available upon adoption Brief Table Of Contents 1. General Instruction and General Laboratory Methods 2.Tools of Techniques in Biological Studies 3.Biochemistry 4. Entomology 5. Electrophoresis 6. Microbiology 7. Cell Biology and Genetics 8. Molecular Biology 9. Tissue Culture Techniques. Appendix A. Units and Measures. Appendix B. Chemicals or Reagents Required for Molecular Biology Experiments. Appendix C. Reagents Required for Tissue Culture Experiments Appendix C. Chemicals Required for Microbiology Experiments. Index. ... Read more

Product Description

This popular textbook has been completely revised and updated to provide a comprehensive overview and to reflect all the latest developments in this rapidly expanding area. Chapters on the impact of molecular biology in the development of biotechnology have been fully updated and include the applications of molecular biology in the areas of drug design and diseases. There are also completely new chapters in developing areas such as genome technology, nanobiotechnology, regenerative medicine and biofuels. By presenting information in an easily assimilated form, this book makes an ideal undergraduate text.

Product Description
Written by experienced authorities in process validation, Process Validation in Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals explores current trends in the field and strategies for the selection of the most appropriate quality control scheme. It offers practical guidelines, recommendations, and an abundance of industrial case studies that demonstrate various techniques and approaches in the validation of biopharmaceutical processes.

Provides specific examples of failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) that help you establish this method in your organization ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good begginer learning tool
Overall this book is a very useful tool for gettig accustomed to regulatory CMC requirements. Some chapters are more comprehensive and detail oriented than others. The case studies included are definitely useful. For someone who is just getting their feet wet in this domain, the book is definitely a life line. For a more advanced person, it might not offer too much. ... Read more

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A general introduction to both the moral philosophy and fundamentals of genetics is enhanced throughout the text with section-specific introductions that address the particular philosophical and scientific challenges posed by the topic under consideration. Softcover. Hardcover available. ... Read more

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In The Business of Bioscience, What goes into making a Biotechnology Product you will be introduced to key aspects of the biotech and product development process. This includes: the characteristics of a biotech entrepreneur, legally establishing your company, raising all forms of capital, selecting development milestones, dealing with personnel issues, the significance and impact of a business model, market strategies and their impact on raising money, regulatory compliance issues, and why you must manage differently at different organizational life stages. Each chapter provides helpful background information yet quickly moves to in-depth discussions of these subjects so that those with more experience in these areas will also benefit. Knowledge is essential for success, and most biotech entrepreneurs are very knowledgeable; however, a distinguishing difference between a good biotech leader and a great biotech leader is having wisdom—the ability to apply specific knowledge at the right time, in the right situation. This aspect is an overarching theme of this book.

Customer Reviews (4)

Bioscience in the trenches

Dr. Shimasaki details actual experience (good and bad) of life science product development and funding.The business model is not easy but the rewards are significant for those willing to handle the ups and downs of the business.As a participant in some of the anonymized deals he described, the narrative is accurate and frank.Sometimes things aren't pretty and the author characterizes these issues in an accurate and insightful manner.The raising money section is written for a non-financial reader which is sorely needed for his targeted readership.Highly educated researchers spending lifetimes in the laboratory are sorely unprepared for monetizing thier invention and having a meaningful financial outcome.Life sciences businesses are capital intensive and the author does a masterful job of putting it all in a percpective that should level the playing field for a life science (or any other) inventor.

Great Teaching Tool for Biotech Entrepreneurs
I thoroughly enjoyed this informative, well written book on the business of bioscience. As a scientist who is involved in the interface of research, education and the business of biotechnology, I had to learn most of these concepts on my own over the past 15 years. As director of the Biotechnology Program, I work with graduate students in the Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology graduate program at the University of California, Davis and many of them are interested in entrepreneurism. They often ask for reading materials on this subject, but there are very few books written with a student in mind. This book is one of just a few books on the market that answers the basic questions as to how to get started. Dr. Craig Shimasaki brings much creditability due to his academic training, experience working in the biotech industry and success in company building. He can walk the talk! It is obvious that he is interested in the reader being able to apply the concepts. I really liked the summary paragraphs at the end of each chapter as well as the discussion of putting the right team in place for the various stages of the company. My only issue is the price. We need an academic discount!

Start your own biotech
Reading it cover to cover was well worthwhile. I think for me it was really very useful to get an idea of what the business side has to deal with in more detail - warts and all. Certainly I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the lab even contemplating starting their owncompany. Even a fresh PhD who is undecided about what to do next should read it because I think it would open their eyes to other directions they could take. I liked how the author interspersed his own experiences into the book. There were many points were I felt this could be one of those inspirational books that a generation of bio-entrepreneurs will look back on and say this was the book that kick started them in that direction and helped them start a biotech. The book gives a solid basis to the business of biotech.

Great advice from a seasoned executive
As a fellow startup executive, I still learned quite a bit from this book...Well done. ... Read more