The challenge for the biosciences in the twenty-first century is to integrate genome sequencing information into a better understanding of biology, physiology, and human pathology. Such attempts at integration are moving the world toward a new generation of bioscience and bioengineering, where biological, physiological, and pathological information from humans and other living animals can be quantitatively described in silico across multiple scales of time and size and through diverse hierarchies of organization — from molecules to cells and organs, to individuals. To "harness" such complexity, international communities of integrative bioscientists and bioengineers aim to establish frameworks and information infrastructures for describing biological structures and physiological functions on multiple scales of time and space. This textbook includes a public platform to describe physiological functions using mathematical equations and guides the reader to perform mathematical modeling and computer simulations, to combine existing models as well as to create new models. Accessible to biologists, physiologists, and students of the sciences, with illustrative details provided when necessary, this book seeks to achieve a systematic way of harnessing biological complexity. Sharing the databases among communities worldwide will help to find comprehensive answers to all the important questions.

Harnessing Complexity will be indispensable to anyone who wants to better comprehend how people and organizations can adapt effectively in the information age. This book is a step-by-step guide to understanding the processes of variation, interaction, and selection that are at work in all organizations. The authors show how to use their own paradigm of "bottom up" management, the Complex Adaptive System-whether in science, public policy, or private commerce. This simple model of how people work together will change forever how we think about getting things done in a group. "Harnessing Complexity distills the managerial essence of current research on complexity. "A very valuable contribution to the emerging theory of competition and competitive advantage."-C.K. Prahalad, University of Michigan, coauthor of Competing for the Future "A brilliant exposition that demystifies both the theory and use of Complex Adaptive Systems."-John Seely Brown, Xerox Corporation and Palo Alto Research Center

“An excellent compendium of all things CRISPR from some of the leading minds in the field. With thorough coverage from every angle and beautifully detailed illustrations, this book is not to be missed!” Jennifer A. Doudna, Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley; Founder, Innovative Genomics Institute; Nobel Laureate and coinventor of CRISPR technology “This journey through CRISPR biology and several of its breakthrough applications offers an exciting glimpse into one of the most beautiful and compelling fields in the life sciences.” David R. Liu, Director of the Merkin Institute at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University; coinventor of base editing and prime editing “A must read! The CRISPR topics, written by world-leading experts, span from the fascinating mechanistic underpinnings to the ingenious applications. One can read from start to finish or pick and choose themes. Either way, the book delivers utterly enjoyable learning!” Bonnie Bassler, Squibb Professor and Chair, Princeton University Department of Molecular Biology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator CRISPR-Cas systems have revolutionized the science of gene editing and their possible applications continue to expand, from basic research to potentially groundbreaking medical and commercial uses. Led by a distinguished team of editors, CRISPR: Biology and Applications explores the subject matter needed to delve into this fascinating area. Topics covered include: Classification and molecular mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas systems CRISPR-Cas evolution, regulation, expression, and function Uses for gene editing and modulation of gene expression CRISPR-based antimicrobials and phage resistance for medical and industrial purposes Written by internationally renowned authors, CRISPR: Biology and Applications serves as both an introductory guide for those new to the field and an authoritative reference for seasoned researchers whose work touches this evolving and headline- making science.

Synthetic biology-unlike any research discipline that precedes it-has the potential to bypass the less predictable process of evolution to usher in a new and dynamic way of working with living systems. Ultimately, synthetic biologists hope to design and build engineered biological systems with capabilities that do not exist in natural systems-capabilities that may ultimately be used for applications in manufacturing, food production, and global health. Importantly, synthetic biology represents an area of science and engineering that raises technical, ethical, regulatory, security, biosafety, intellectual property, and other issues that will be resolved differently in different parts of the world. As a better understanding of the global synthetic biology landscape could lead to tremendous benefits, six academies-the United Kingdom's Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, the United States' National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering, and the Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering-organized a series of international symposia on the scientific, technical, and policy issues associated with synthetic biology. Positioning Synthetic Biology to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century summarizes the symposia proceedings.

Many potential applications of synthetic and systems biology are relevant to the challenges associated with the detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. On March 14 and 15, 2011, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to explore the current state of the science of synthetic biology, including its dependency on systems biology; discussed the different approaches that scientists are taking to engineer, or reengineer, biological systems; and discussed how the tools and approaches of synthetic and systems biology were being applied to mitigate the risks associated with emerging infectious diseases. The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology is organized into sections as a topic-by-topic distillation of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. Its purpose is to present information from relevant experience, to delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective challenges, and to offer differing perspectives on the topic as discussed and described by the workshop participants. This report also includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary.

Biological signaling pathways dynamically interact with one another to form complex information networks intracellularly, intercellularly, and eventually at the level of the organism. Biology and medicine have conventionally focused on identification and characterization of functional elements in biological signaling pathways. Recently, research in this field has pursued a new approach, systems biology, to understand the dynamics, complexity, and physiological functions of the biological signaling networks. Instead of reductionistic analyses or large-scale studies of biomolecules piece by piece, systems biology emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary methods and analysis of the regulation and operation of information networks at the systems level. The contributors to this book are leading researchers in the rising field of systems biology. Readers will find not only the most recent advances in research, but also the latest information about interdisciplinary methods and related topics.

Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. A New Biology for the 21st Century recommends that a "New Biology" approach-one that depends on greater integration within biology, and closer collaboration with physical, computational, and earth scientists, mathematicians and engineers-be used to find solutions to four key societal needs: sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, optimized biofuel production, and improvement in human health. The approach calls for a coordinated effort to leverage resources across the federal, private, and academic sectors to help meet challenges and improve the return on life science research in general.

Thirty-five years after its initial success as a form of technologically assisted human reproduction, and five million miracle babies later, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become a routine procedure worldwide. In Biological Relatives, Sarah Franklin explores how the normalization of IVF has changed how both technology and biology are understood. Drawing on anthropology, feminist theory, and science studies, Franklin charts the evolution of IVF from an experimental research technique into a global technological platform used for a wide variety of applications, including genetic diagnosis, livestock breeding, cloning, and stem cell research. She contends that despite its ubiquity, IVF remains a highly paradoxical technology that confirms the relative and contingent nature of biology while creating new biological relatives. Using IVF as a lens, Franklin presents a bold and lucid thesis linking technologies of gender and sex to reproductive biomedicine, contemporary bioinnovation, and the future of kinship.