Molecular Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases (ePub)

"I think this is an excellent book-I recommend it
to anyone involved in molecular epidemiology... The 26 chapters are
written by topic specialists, in an explanatory, east to read
style." -BTS Newsletter, Summer 2009

"This text provides an accessible and useful handbook for the
epidemiologist who wants to survey the field, to become better
informed, to look at recent developments and get some background on
these or simply to appreciate further the relatively rapid changes
in informatic and analytical technologies which increasingly will
serve and underpin future epidemiological studies. One of the
strengths in this book is the extensive array of practical
illustrative examples, and it would also in my opinion have useful
potential as a teaching text." -American Journal of Human
Biology, March 2009

With the sequencing of the human genome and the mapping of millions
of single nucleotide polymorphisms, epidemiology has moved into the
molecular domain. Scientists can now use molecular markers to track
disease-associated genes in populations, enabling them to study
complex chronic diseases that might result from the weak
interactions of many genes with the environment. Use of these
laboratory generated biomarker data and an understanding of disease
mechanisms are increasingly important in elucidating disease
aetiology.

Molecular Epidemiology of Disease crosses the
disciplinary boundaries between laboratory scientists,
epidemiologists, clinical researchers and biostatisticians and is
accessible to all these relevant research communities in focusing
on practical issues of application, rather than reviews of current
areas of research.

* Covers categories of biomarkers of exposure, susceptibility and
disease

* Includes chapters on novel technologies: genomics,
transcriptomics, proteomics and metabonomics, which are
increasingly finding application in population studies

* Emphasizes new statistical and bioinformatics approaches
necessitated by the large data sets generated using these new
methodologies

* Demonstrates the potential applications of laboratory
techniques in tackling epidemiological problems while considering
their limitations, including the sources of uncertainty and
inaccuracy

* Discusses issues such as reliability (compared to traditional
epidemiological methods) and the timing of exposure

* Explores practical elements of conducting population studies,
including biological repositories and ethics

Molecular Epidemiology of Disease provides an
easy-to-use, clearly presented handbook that allows epidemiologists
to understand the specifics of research involving biomarkers, and
laboratory scientists to understand the main issues of
epidemiological study design and analysis. It also provides a
useful tool for courses on molecular epidemiology, using many
examples from population studies to illustrate key concepts and
principles.