Tools for Conditional Mutagenesis -- Conditional Somatic Mutagenesis in the Mouse Using Site-Specific Recombinases -- Cre/loxP-Mediated Chromosome Engineering of the Mouse Genome -- Tetracycline-Controlled Genetic Switches -- Novel Gene Switches -- Improved Embryonic Stem Cell Technologies -- Gene Trap Mutagenesis -- RNA Interference in Mice -- Viral Vectors: A Wide Range of Choices and High Levels of Service -- Conditional Mutagenesis by Cell-Permeable Proteins: Potential, Limitations and Prospects -- Examples of Conditional Disease Models -- Analysis of Mouse Development with Conditional Mutagenesis -- Conditional Mouse Models of Cancer -- Conditional Mutagenesis Reveals Immunological Functions of Widely Expressed Genes: Activation Thresholds, Homeostatic Mechanisms and Disease Models -- Conditional Transgenesis and Recombination to Study the Molecular Mechanisms of Brain Plasticity and Memory -- A Novel Conditional Knockout Strategy Applied to Serotonin Receptors -- Conditional Mouse Models for Friedreich Ataxia, a Neurodegenerative Disorder Associating Cardiomyopathy -- Animal Models in Cardiovascular Diseases: New Insights from Conditional Models -- Conditional Animal Models for the Study of Lipid Metabolism and Lipid Disorders -- Conditional Mouse Models to Study Developmental and Pathophysiological Gene Function in Muscle -- Analysis of Calcium Channels by Conditional Mutagenesis -- Conditional Mutagenesis of G-Protein Coupled Receptors and G-Proteins -- Contribution of Targeted Conditional Somatic Mutagenesis to Deciphering Retinoid X Receptor Functions and to Generating Mouse Models of Human Diseases. Leading experts provide timely and comprehensive information on methods for conditional mutagenesis in the mouse (part 1) and their application to model human physiology and pathophysiology (part 2). It illustrates how sophisticated genetic manipulations of the mouse genome are employed to model human diseases and to identify underlying molecular mechanisms. Finally the book considers the development of new drugs to treat them.