In the new book DNA: How the Biotech Revolution Is Changing the Way We Fight Disease molecular biologist Frank H. Stephenson tells the story of how scientists on many fronts are succeeding in the battle against disease.

According to Stephenson, efforts to understand the nature of disease, down to its component molecular foundation, have reached an unprecedented intensity. "There is an excitement out there, an expectation, that we are but a little ways away from stopping cancer in its tracks, from curing diabetes, and from preventing afflictions such as Alzheimer's, AIDS, and malaria," he says. "There is the sense that each gene we discover, each molecular pathway we elucidate brings us closer to cures."

The book retails for $17.16 in Amazon.