Gene Transfer to Animal Cells

The Advanced Methods series is intended for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and established research scientists. Titles in the series are designed to cover current important areas of research in life sciences, and include both theoretical background and detailed protocols. The aim is to give researchers sufficient theory, supported by references, to take the given protocols and adapt them to their particular experimental systems. Gene transfer to animal cells was first achieved more than 30 years ago. Since then, transformation technology has developed rapidly, resulting in a multitude of techniques for cell transformation and the creation of transgenic animals. As with any expanding technology, it becomes difficult to keep track of all the developments and to find a concise and comprehensive source of information that explains all the underlying principles. Gene Transfer to Animals Cells attempts to address this problem by describing the principles behind gene transfer technologies, how gene expression is controlled in animal cells and how advanced strategies can be used to add, exchange or delete sequences from animal genomes in a conditional manner. An exciting final chapter provides an overview of all the applications of animal cell transformation in farming, medicine and research.