During recent decades, bewildering progress has occurred in the field of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Progress has been extraordinarily rapid primarily because of the challenge for finding solutions to a wide variety of diseases and the availability of new techniques for monitoring biochemical processes. This has resulted in a voluminous and complex literature in the field of biochemical medicine so that there is a clear need for the synthesis and analysis of the continuing expansion of valuable data. It was thus considered appropriate to initiate a new series of monographs, each dedicated to a specialized area of investigation, encompassing molecular and cellular processes in health and disease. Most of the biochemical scientists have devoted their energies in understanding the fundamentals of biochemistry and indeed impressive advances have been made in the past. However, the full potential for explanation has been hampered by the concept of universality of biochemical reactions occurring in the cell. In view of the fact that each organ in the body performs a distinct function, it is now beginning to be realized that each cell type is unique in its need to survive and perform its specific function. Accordingly, the aspect of individualty is receiving increased attention for revealing new avenues in the study of pathophysiology of cellular abnormalities.
