Pathology of Gene Expression [antikvár]

The 19th century witnessed a revolution in Medicine: this was heralded by striking scientific achievements such as the identification of bacteria and the understanding of their role in humán disease, the concept of a "cellula" pathophysiology and the foundation of experimentál medicine. For the first time in humán history, the pathogenetic mechanism of disease became an object of active investigation. The new knowledge generated by these studies was eventually applied to Clinical Medicine and förmed a sound basis for the remarkable improvements in medical treatment and overall life expectancy which followed in the 20th century. More than a century after the initial formulation of the basic principles of experimentál medicine, the impressive development of molecular biology offers a new conceptual framework for the interpretation, classification and treatment of humán diseases. Being the final objective of experimentál medicine that of bringing new techniques and new hopes to the bedside, we necessarily emphasize those areas of molecular and biologieal research which bear a promise of future clinical application. At this time, gene therapy and the prevention of genetic diseases are around the corner, since biotechnology offers new possibilities in diagnosis and in therapy. The development of retroviral shuttle vectors for the transfer of genetic material between humans and the ever expanding fields of oncogene and growth factor research have wide ranging implications valid not only for specific areas such as oncology, endocrinology, developmental studies, etc., but for the biologieal foundations of medical sciences in generál. In fact, the developments of basic research run across the established boundaries of "classical" biomedical fields, such as cancer research, immunology, molecular pathophysiology, endocrinology and so on. The natural history of humán disease is emerging and replacing previous scattered information and irrational schemes of classification. As a result of the application of molecular techniques, modern experimentál medicine is becoming molecular medicine. In this book, we offer a collection of papers which document the development of biomedical research in Italy. The topics which we have selected concern molecular aspects of differentiation, more specifically the role of protooncogenes and growth factor genes in modulating the developmental program of cells. These contributions are all derived from research which was made possible by grants from the Italian National Research Council and from the National Research Projects of the Ministry of Education. LUIGI FRATI