Examines bioinformatic and genomic approaches for the identification, detection, selection, and validation of new antibacterial targets and vaccine candidates. Explores potential pathways for effective infection control, inhibition of antibacterial resistance, and acceleration of drug discovery processes. Illustrates the use of Pathway Tools in a genomics-based drug discovery project.

Exploring innovative routes of drug discovery in the postgenomic era, Microbial Genomics and Drug Discovery examines bioinformatic and genomic approaches for the identification, detection, selection, and validation of new antibacterial targets and vaccine candidates. The book discusses potential pathways for effective infection control, inhibition of antibacterial resistance, and acceleration of the drug discovery process. This comprehensive reference describes procedures to recognize common targets in various bacterial species for the design of broad-spectrum antibiotics and clearly illustrates the use of pathway tools in a genomics-based drug discovery project.

This collection of diverse articles by the pioneers of modern genomics takes stock of the current state of the field and elucidates the contribution that sequencing genomes has made to our understanding of microbial metabolism and evolution. Through twenty-eight thought-provoking chapters, the authors describe some of the most common computational methods and their applications to studying pathogenic microorganisms, show how genomics can be used to reconstruct the history and dynamism of the microbial world, and discuss issues as diverse as reconstruction of metabolic pathways, cell cycle processes, microbial evolution, metagenomics, and vaccine development. Additional chapters deal with microarrays and expression analysis and the role of genomic in drug discovery.

Microbial Resources: From Functional Existence in Nature to Applications provides an exciting interdisciplinary journey through the rapidly developing field of microbial resources, including relationships to aspects of microbiology. Covers the functional existence of microorganisms in nature, as well as the transfer of this knowledge for industrial and other applications. Examines the economic perspective of revealing the potential value of microbial material and figuring it into socio-economic value; legal perspectives; and how to organize a fair allotment of socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders who have effectively contributed to the preservation, study, and exploitation of microbiological material. Covers aspects of foundational information related to microbiology, microbial ecology, and diversity, as well as new advances in microbial genomics Provides information on the utilization of microbial resources in biotechnology Covers legislative issues and related law in biodiscovery Fills a need for a very broad audience and is a good resource for microbiologists seeking to know the extent of microbiology approaches, the policies associated with microbiology, and potential career paths for researchers Has significant added value due to the inclusion of comprehensive coverage of the biology, ecology, biochemistry and international legislation surrounding these applications

Microbial Functional Genomics offers a timely summary of the principles, approaches, and applications. It presents a comprehensive review of microbial functional genomics, covering microbial diversity, microbial genome sequencing, genomic technologies, genome-wide functional analysis, applied functional genomics, and future directions. An introduction will offer a definition of the field and an overview of the historical and comparative genomics aspects.

Microbial Genomics: Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Industrial Applications focuses on the various applications of microbial genomics in clinical, pharmaceutical, and industrial fields. The book consists of four parts devoted to bacterial, viral, and fungal genomics, as well as their applications in clinical, pharmaceutical, and industrial fields. Chapters are written by experts in their respective disciplines and are tightly organized with an introduction to detailed descriptions, available software implementation, applications, advanced topics, summaries, analytic questions, exercises, and suggested readings. Throughout this book, the latest genomics and biotechnological developments and discoveries as well as open problems and future challenges on microbial genomics are highlighted. Readers will be introduced to state-of-the-art developments and trends of microbial genomics, its clinical, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications.

Leading infectious disease researchers and pharmaceutical scientists comprehensively review the latest genomic technologies and their application to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The authors' cross-disciplinary approach, with expertise acquired from studying disease-causing viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, reveals how sequence information from diverse pathogens has uncovered novel targets for drug discovery, antigenic determinants for vaccine development, as well as diagnostic tools. The authors also discuss the application of DNA micoarrays and the impact of genome sequencing comparisons on the discovery and choices of novel drug targets. The result is a better understanding how genomic information can reveal the fundamentals of microbial pathogenesis and how organisms interact with their host environment.