Overview

Science and medicine have provided us with clues to the treatment of a few genetic diseases, although by their very nature they have never been considered curable. But, as William R. Clark shows, that is about to change through one of the most profound revolutions in modern medicine: gene therapy, a branch of the new field of molecular medicine. Clark takes us to the laboratories which have been able to isolate human genes, to make billions of copies of them, and to reintroduce healthy genes into unfortunate individuals who have inherited damaged or functionless genes. The New Healers outlines the powerful logic behind molecular medicine: everything we know about molecular biology tells us that it can work, and that it will work. Clark introduces us to the scientists working now to map out the entire human genome, taking human beings to a completely new level of understanding of our biological selves. Clark also helps us to begin thinking about how we will manage that understanding, and how we will use the information we gain. The New Healers is a clear and compelling introduction to this important new frontier of human medicine.

Full Product Details

9780195130843

Table of Contents

Reviews

William Clark sets out a well-balanced accoumt of the complexities of his controversial field of medical research. He offers a clear description of how genes work and of the attempts that are being made to isolate and transfer them to new homes... unlikeso many of the popular works of this kind, does not duck complexities or overstate progress. The Times Higher Education Supplement In the New Healers, William Clark takes on gene therapy with the same verve and clarity which made its previous books on the immmune system and the biology of the cell such a pleasure. New Scientist

An exposition of the revolutionary changes in medicine coming in the next century as well as discussion of some of the ethical problems these will create. The distinguished Clark, professor emeritus of immunology at UCLA (Sex and the Origins of Death, 1996, etc.), attempts to explain to nonscientists the biology underlying molecular medicine. This is no small undertaking, and Clark is only partly successful. For the layperson, his work requires careful reading of dense text, mastery of a mysterious new vocabulary - recombinant plasmids, antisense mRNA - and study of complex diagrams. After these demanding biochemistry lessons, Clark turns to a fascinating discussion of what it all means in terms of health. He details the current state of gene therapy in treating cystic fibrosis and severe combined immune deficiency (the Bubble Boy disorder), in which copies of normal genes are being successfully introduced into the living cells of individuals with defective genes. In cancer, the ultimate goal of gene therapy is to alter or kill every tumor cell, and in AIDS to neutralize the effects of HIV. Clark, who is optimistic about reaching these goals, then devotes a chapter each to the profound effects on public health that DNA vaccination (injecting a gene from a pathogen, which would be more effective than today's vaccines) will bring in the next century and to the significance of the Human Genome Project, due to be completed shortly after the turn of the century. He clearly sees an educated public as the best defense against misuse of genetic information, for instance, altering a fetus's genetic makeup with the best of medical intentions but without knowing all the consequences of doing so. Although Clark insists that if one is to understand molecular medicine, one must first understand molecular biology, those who find his biology lectures too academic for comfort can still savor the well-wrought medical and ethical discussions. (Kirkus Reviews)

William Clark sets out a well-balanced accoumt of the complexities of his controversial field of medical research. He offers a clear description of how genes work and of the attempts that are being made to isolate and transfer them to new homes... unlikeso many of the popular works of this kind, does not duck complexities or overstate progress. The Times Higher Education Supplement In the New Healers, William Clark takes on gene therapy with the same verve and clarity which made its previous books on the immmune system and the biology of the cell such a pleasure. New Scientist

Author Information

William R. Clark is Professor Emeritus of Immunology at UCLA. An internationally recognized authority on cellular immune responses, he is the author of At War Within: The Double Edged Sword of Immunity and Sex and the Origins of Death.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available