Krishna R. Dronamraju – författare

First published in 1998, this was the first book to present a comprehensive summary of both the global as well as institutional issues which are involved in biotechnology sharing. It covers the controversial subject of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the patenting of new discoveries in genetic knowledge in both agriculture and the human genome. One controversial issue is the creation of public and private DNA sequencing data bases. Of special interest is the sharing of biotechnology between the developed (rich) and developing (poor) nations. A related topic which requires immediate attention is the exploitation of biodiversity in the developing countries and the resulting extinction of rare species. Sharing or transferring biotechnology and its applications between institutions or different countries raises numerous ethical and moral dilemmas. A comprehensive summary of these issues is presented in this book.

First published in 1998, this was the first book to present a comprehensive summary of both the global as well as institutional issues which are involved in biotechnology sharing. It covers the controversial subject of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the patenting of new discoveries in genetic knowledge in both agriculture and the human genome. One controversial issue is the creation of public and private DNA sequencing data bases. Of special interest is the sharing of biotechnology between the developed (rich) and developing (poor) nations. A related topic which requires immediate attention is the exploitation of biodiversity in the developing countries and the resulting extinction of rare species. Sharing or transferring biotechnology and its applications between institutions or different countries raises numerous ethical and moral dilemmas. A comprehensive summary of these issues is presented in this book.

First published in 1990, this is a compilation of several important papers that have contributed to the foundation of population genetics, evolutionary biology and human genetics. The collection includes Haldane’s first paper in genetics, which was published in 1915, reporting the first case of linkage in a mammal, and - fifty years later, in 1965 - his last paper in genetics on selection for a single pair of allelomorphs with complete replacement. Haldane''s Rule, the only idea named after him, was published in 1922 and is still valid today. Other papers, which include many Haldane firsts, such as the first estimation of a human mutation rate, first human gene map, first papers in population genetics, first estimate of the probability of fixation of a new mutation, and first measurement of mutation impact on a population, leading to the "genetic load" concept, are included. The volume also includes a paper presenting an ancient logical system for interpreting scientific results.

This book is being planned as a tribute to Dr. Victor A. McKusick (1921-2008), who is well known as the “father of medical genetics”. He was long associated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, first as a student in the 1940s, and later as a faculty member, becoming the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins. He was a co-founder of GENOMICS and founder and lifelong editor of Mendelian Inheritance in Man, a massive compendium of human syndromes and genetic variants. Dr. McKusick made distinguished contributions to all branches of medical genetics. He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and many other academies in the world. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2002. He received many other honors including several honorary doctorates. 

The proposed book will reflect all the fields touched upon by Dr. McKusick’s contributions. It will be a valuable source of the latest progress in medical genetics. The contributors are internationally distinguished in their chosen specialties. Besides professional distinction, they are being selected because of their past association with Dr. McKusick, as former students or colleagues who extended his research in some fashion.

The proposed book will reflect all the fields touched upon by Dr. McKusick’s contributions. It will be a valuable source of the latest progress in medical genetics. The contributors are internationally distinguished in their chosen specialties. Besides professional distinction, they are being selected because of their past association with Dr. McKusick, as former students or colleagues who extended his research in some fashion.