Ann Thorac Surg 2003;76:2171
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Review of recent books
Cardiac cell and gene transfer: principles, protocols and applications
Edited by Joseph M. Metzger, MD, 2003, Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 260 pp, illustrated, $110.00, ISBN: 0-89603-994-3
Shafie Fazel, MD, Reviewera,
Richard D. Weisel, MD, Reviewera
a Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The book Cardiac Cell and Gene Transfer: Principles, Protocols and Applications is edited by Joseph M. Metzger from the University of Michigan and is part of the Humana Press Methods in Molecular Biology series. The intended audience for this book is basic science and clinical researchers in the academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors of the cardiovascular community. The book is a valuable resource for cardiac surgical scientists and particularly aspiring cardiac surgical residents who hope to become familiar with the techniques of cell and gene transfer.
The book is 253 pages long and is divided into four parts and 19 chapters. Each chapter is authored by a different team. Therefore, the sections are somewhat disjointed, and the principles of certain methodologies are not always fully explained prior to the description of the methodology used. The strength of this organization is the multitude of perspectives offered by the various authors. Part I is dedicated to examining vectors for gene therapy (adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, gutted adenovirus, and lentivirus). This section would benefit from an introductory chapter outlining the principles and underlying concepts that are needed to allow utilization of the techniques detailed in the chapters. Part III covers unrelated topics ranging from suppressor tRNA methodologies to canine cardiomyocyte isolation and culture techniques. Parts II and IV, which cover cell transfer methodologies and in vivo gene transfer protocols, are the clearest and best organized sections of the book.
The book has certain advantages. The introduction to each of the chapters is usually brief and concise. The Materials and Methods sections are adequately detailed to allow a complete understanding of each of the experimental protocols outlined. In the Notes sections, the authors provide pearls of wisdom that have been learned through trial and error. These Notes sections are invaluable. Figures are used frequently and help provide clearer understanding of the various protocols and experimental procedures. The number of references for each chapter is just right, and the reader is not overburdened with unnecessary information. A particular strength of the book is including the references for the papers in which the protocols are detailed, thereby allowing the reader to cross-refer a protocol with each real-life situation.
In conclusion, cardiac surgical scientists and especially aspiring academic cardiac surgeons will use this book as a reference for understanding the techniques of cell and gene transfer. Novice investigators will require intervening sources before they can use this reference text. Gene and cell therapy is gaining in popularity and will soon become an invaluable weapon in the surgeon's armamentarium. Therefore, this book is timely and useful for surgeon scientists.
