Translational Immunology


Book Description

Translational Immunology: Mechanisms and Pharmacologic Approaches highlights and summarizes the most important advances in human immunology, clinical translations, new tools to analyze therapeutic targets, and new pharmacological approaches for autoimmunity, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. The book is an essential resource for those seeking to understand the potential translational applications of burgeoning studies in human immunology, helping readers make sense of the existing and emerging scientific advances. The book grounds fundamental science in the translational realm, providing insights from world renowned researchers at the top of their game in their respective fields, in both industry and academic settings. Readers will gain an understanding of the rationale and mechanisms underlying current and emerging pharmacologic approaches for interventional immunology, the gaps therein, and new ideas for better and safer therapeutic approaches, and physicians will glean information about pharmacological limitations in altering disease progression and complications. This reference on the translational realization of the burgeoning findings in immunology provides a go-to reference for experienced professional clinicians, researchers, industry scientists, and those seeking more information on the field. - Delivers comprehensive coverage of seminal human immunology discoveries and the resulting impact on therapeutic strategies - Presents potential novel targets and approaches for clinical applications in organ specific and systemic autoimmunity, transplant rejection, cancer, and vaccine development - Discusses lessons learned from successful and failed clinical trials with specific interventions, including pharmacological issues and limitations, and complications due to immunosuppression - Provides information on new strategies and outstanding issues that should be addressed in future research




Cell Migration in Inflammation and Immunity


Book Description

Cell migration is now well recognized as a critical component of the inflammatory disease process, so that its proper understanding promises to generate both ground-breaking basic discoveries and the development of novel therapeutics. In Cell Migration in Inflammation and Immunity: Methods and Protocols, leading cell biologists and immunologists present their most widely useful and innovative techniques for studying the molecular and cellular basis of this phenomenon. Describing each method in step-by-step detail, the authors provide a series of focused, cutting-edge techniques proceeding from the in vitro analysis of cell migration and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process, to methodologies for the analysis of cell migration in vivo. Methods for the analysis of rapid leukocyte adhesion under flow conditions in vitro are described, which may prove especially fruitful for scientists exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying both vascular recognition and leukocyte-endothelium interaction. Experimental approaches useful in establishing the role of cell migration in the pathogenesis of both acute and chronic inflammatory diseases are emphasized. Each fully tested protocol includes an introduction explaining the principle behind the technique, equipment and reagent lists, and tips on troubleshooting and how to avoid known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Cell Migration in Inflammation and Immunity: Methods and Protocols offers novice and experienced investigators alike a collection of powerful techniques for studying the molecular basis and pathophysiological significance of cell migration in inflammatory and immune diseases, as well as for the development of novel therapeutics.







Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Inflammation


Book Description

The characterization of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate inflammation provides a foundation that supports future studies that will de fine mechanisms more intimately. It encourages substantial optimism about the opportunities to understand the inflammatory process and to use that information to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Recent progress has defined the cells that mediate the inflammatory response, many of the inter cellular transmitters, the receptors, signal transduction processes and regula tory mechanisms. Thus, we now have the opportunity to understand inflammation in pharmacologic terms and to attack the key molecular targets to develop new therapeutics. Among the cells involved in the inflammatory response are the lympho cytes, neutrophils and endothelial cells. Maintenance of homeostasis, re sponse to proinflammatory stimuli and pathophysiologic responses are products of complex interactions between these and other elements of the immune systems. Each of these cells displays a variety of receptors to define the stimuli to which they respond. The receptors displayed that the signal transduction processes and cellular responses are regulated genetically and epigenetic ally . The critical role of membranes and particularly the phospho lipid components of the membranes is emphasized by recent studies.




Cell Migration in Inflammation and Immunity


Book Description

Chemokines and their receptors play a central role in the pathogenesis of numerous, perhaps all, acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. About 50 distinct chemokines produced by a variety cell types and tissues either c- stitutively or in response to inflammatory stimuli are involved in a plethora of biological processes. These small secreted proteins exert their exquisitely variegated functions upon binding to a family of seven-transmembrane spanning G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) composed of almost 20 distinct entities. The biological activities of chemokines range from the control of leukocyte trafficking in basal and inflammatory conditions to the regulation of hema- poiesis, angiogenesis, tissue architecture, and organogenesis. The basis for such diversified activities rests, on one hand, upon the ubiquitous nature of chemokine production and chemokine receptor expression. Virtually every cell type can produce chemokines and expresses a unique combination of chemokine receptors. On the other hand, chemokine receptors make use of a flexible and complex network of intracellular signaling machineries that can regulate a variety of cellular functions ranging from cell migration, growth, and differentiation to death. As knowledge of the size of chemokine and chemokine receptor families rapidly reaches completeness, much is still to be uncovered in terms of fu- tional architecture of the chemokine system. The disparity between the large number of chemokines and that smaller number of receptors is balanced by the promiscuity in ligand–receptor interactions, with multiple chemokines binding to the same receptor and several chemokines binding to more than one receptor.







Molecular Pathology


Book Description

As the molecular basis of human disease becomes better characterized, and the implications for understanding the molecular basis of disease becomes realized through improved diagnostics and treatment, Molecular Pathology, Second Edition stands out as the most comprehensive textbook where molecular mechanisms represent the focus. It is uniquely concerned with the molecular basis of major human diseases and disease processes, presented in the context of traditional pathology, with implications for translational molecular medicine. The Second Edition of Molecular Pathology has been thoroughly updated to reflect seven years of exponential changes in the fields of genetics, molecular, and cell biology which molecular pathology translates in the practice of molecular medicine. The textbook is intended to serve as a multi-use textbook that would be appropriate as a classroom teaching tool for biomedical graduate students, medical students, allied health students, and others (such as advanced undergraduates). Further, this textbook will be valuable for pathology residents and other postdoctoral fellows that desire to advance their understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease beyond what they learned in medical/graduate school. In addition, this textbook is useful as a reference book for practicing basic scientists and physician scientists that perform disease-related basic science and translational research, who require a ready information resource on the molecular basis of various human diseases and disease states. - Explores the principles and practice of molecular pathology: molecular pathogenesis, molecular mechanisms of disease, and how the molecular pathogenesis of disease parallels the evolution of the disease - Explains the practice of "molecular medicine and the translational aspects of molecular pathology - Teaches from the perspective of "integrative systems biology - Enhanced digital version included with purchase




Coronaviruses with Special Emphasis on First Insights Concerning SARS


Book Description

-SARS has received much attention and coverage by the media and has a high impact on the public making this a hot research topic for scientists. -