Genomics: Concepts and Applications

Genomics is a field of biology that studies the genome. It involves the analysis and sequencing of genes to analyze the function and structure of the complete genome. A revolutionary development in genomics has been the Human Genome Project under which the complete genome sequencing of the human body was achieved. This was possible due to an amalgamation of efficient sequencing technologies and utilization of bioinformatics resources. The genome analysis of an organism usually consists of three stages- DNA sequencing, representation of the original chromosome using knowledge of the assembly of the DNA sequence, and the analysis and annotation of that representation. Some of the areas of research in genomics are functional genomics, structural genomics, metagenomics, epigenomics, etc. Such studies contribute to the advancement of biotechnology, medicine, bioengineering and conservation. The objective of this book is to give a general view of the different areas of genomics and its applications. The various studies that are constantly contributing towards advancing technologies and evolution of this field are examined in detail. This book is a collective contribution of a renowned group of international experts.