Description: Human developmental disorders are a significant clinical burden and a focus of intensive research. Traditionally, mouse embryos have been used to model patterns of early human development. However, increasing evidence shows that early human development differs substantially from mouse development in both anatomy and gene expression. This means that the mouse is limiting as a model of human development and has necessitated a new direction in the path of developmental research with more emphasis on molecular and genetic approaches in humans. This book is the first to review the new and exciting genetic approach to the study of early human development. These approaches are put into perspective with a summary of clinical relevance, ethical issues, historical background, anatomical and other biological studies, and the continuing importance of mouse studies. The book is essential reading for researchers in development, and the broader issues will appeal to a wider audience, including clinicians and molecular geneticists.

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