Structural Bioinformatics (Methods of Biochemical Analysis) [Paperback]

Philip E. Bourne (Editor), Helge Weissig (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471201995 | ISBN-13: 978-0471201991 | Publication Date: February 21, 2003 | Edition: 1

From the Foreword?
"[A] must read for all of us committed to understanding the interplayof structure and function...[T]he individual chapters outline the suiteof major basic life science questions such as the status of effortsto predict protein structure and how proteins carry out cellularfunctions, and also the applied life science questions such as howstructural bioinformatics can improve health care through acceleratingdrug discovery."

This book provides a basic understanding of the theories, associated algorithms, resources, and tools used in structural bioinformatics. The reader emerges with the ability to make effective use of protein, DNA, RNA, carbohydrate, and complex structures to better understand biological function. Moreover, it draws a clear connection between structural studies and the rational design of new therapies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a gold mine of fundamental and practical information in an area not previously well represented in book form.” (Biochemistry and Molecular Education, September/October 2003)

"...a gold mine of fundamental and practical information.... This book is destined to become a classic reference work for workers at all levels in structural bioinformatics...recommended with great enthusiasm for educators, researchers, and graduate students." (BAMBED, Vol. 31, No. 5, 2003)

"...recommended for anyone who wishes to develop bioinformatics tools for protein structure analysis." (The Biotech Journal, April/May 2003)

"...a useful and timely summary of a rapidly expanding field." (Nature Structural Biology, Vol. 10, No. 8, August 2003)

"...a terrific job in this timely creation of a compilation of articles that appropriately addresses this issue." (Briefings in Bioinformatics)

From the Author

This book includes chapters from many of the leaders in the field and is intended to serve as a reference text for graduate students undertaking bioinformatics as a major or any established scientist wishing to understand the field at a time when biological structure is key to our understanding of living systems. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Liss; 1 edition (February 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471201995
• ISBN-13: 978-0471201991
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Legit review from a REAL: reader, June 16, 2006

By 

Pete Gramp "[e-mail]" (Schwenksville, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Structural Bioinformatics (Methods of Biochemical Analysis) (Paperback)

Ok, there are 3 reviews listed here from what seems to be the authors or their closest friends... I give these about as much credit as whale dung at the bottom of the ocean. That being said, this *IS* an awesome summation of current knowledge in the fields of Structural biology and bioinformatics, especially for one with a working (undergraduate) knowledge of biological building blocks.
A few things of note: the book is aimed at biologists. This is not to imply that computer scientists or actuarial scientists will never understand this book, but rather implies that the approach to instruction is taken from the biological realm and then expanded to other related fields.
Also note that this is aimed strictly at comparative structural bioinformatics. While mentioned in the book, topics like transcription factors, x-ray crystalographic methods, or multi-cell signalling networks are best left for other books. This particular book, while touching on the subjects, does not go into much depth in these subjects. Personally, I feel this is all the better, allowing for a better primer of the subjects.
All in all, I have to say that this is one of the best books to date for an upper-undergraduate / graduate student to gain a working knowledge of Structural Bioinformatics. As such, I gladly rate this a 5 star book!

2 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Timely, September 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Structural Bioinformatics (Methods of Biochemical Analysis) (Paperback)

"...a useful and timely summary of a rapidly expanding field." (Nature Structural Biology, Vol. 10, No. 8, August 2003)

3 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Book, July 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Structural Bioinformatics (Methods of Biochemical Analysis) (Paperback)

"...recommended for anyone who wishes to develop bioinformatics tools for protein structure analysis." (The Biotech Journal, April/May 2003)