Gene therapy was conceived during the early and mid part of the 20th century. At first, it was considered a revolutionary biomedical procedure, which could potentially cure any disease for which the molecular bases were understood. Since then, gene therapy has gone through many stages and has evolved from a nearly unrealistic perspective to a real life application. Clinical efficacy in humans was demonstrated at the beginning of this century after its successful application in small-scale ...

The book starts with an introduction to and history of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), followed by a description of their differentiation, their role in the tumour microenvironment and their therapeutic targeting. It closes with an outlook on future developments. In cancer patients, myelopoiesis is perturbed and instead of generating immunogenic myeloid cells (such as dendritic cells, inflammatory macrophages and granulocytes), there is an increase in highly immature MDSCs. These...

This book explores the major cytokines, such as IL-1 and IFN-γ, with respect to the regulation of their gene expression and protein production in specific immune cell types. It discusses both healthy physiological settings and in pathological situations in which the expression of some cytokines could be dysregulated, resulting in either immunodeficiency or exacerbated inflammatory sequelae in animal models as well as in human patients. Cytokines are important regulators of immune responses...

JAK tyrosine kinases and STAT transcription factors constitute a signaling pathway, which is activated by cytokines. By activating gene transcription it regulates essential biological responses to environmental cues. The Jak-Stat pathway is involved in the regulation of cell development, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Improper function may contribute to hematopoietic malignancies and cancer. This book provides comprehensive insights into the latest basic and clinical develop...

The present book addresses the multi-disciplinary nature of Translational Outcomes Research, which is a watershed for nearly all the disciplines of Life and Health Sciences, along with the Materials Sciences including but not limited to Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Nanotechnology, the Medical Sciences, Bioengineering, Biophysics, Medicinal Chemistry, Structural Biology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. This book, for the first time, addresses the basic premises...

Tumor-Induced Immune Suppression - Prospects and Progress in Mechanisms and Therapeutic Reversalpresents a comprehensive overview of large number of different mechanisms of immune dysfunction in cancer and therapeutic approaches to their correction. This includes the number of novel mechanisms that has never before been discussed in previous monographs.The last decades were characterized by substantial progress in the understanding of the role of the immune system in tumor...

This volume provides a set of reviews dedicated to the biology of Interleukin (IL)-10. It includes chapters on its importance for maintaining immune homeostasis in humans, its role in intestinal immunity and its functions during viral and bacterial infections. In addition, it presents reviews on the mechanisms linking innate microbial recognition to the production of IL-10 and on how IL-10 recognition by its receptor functions. The roles of T and B cells as relevant sources of IL-10 are al...

How will increased understanding of the human genome affect our ability to diagnose and treat disease? The subject of recombinant DNA technology is no longer limited to the research laboratory; it is being discussed in ever-widening medical circles. Introduction to Molecular Medicine is especially written for the physician who is not a genetics expert but wishes to understand this new science and find entry to the more specialized publications. The first chapters present t...

New Insights to Neuroimmune Biology investigates the mechanisms that and functions of the Neuroimmune Regulatory Supersystem. Covering molecular regulation of cytokines in brain astrocytes, immunoregulation by the sympathetic nervous system, circadian regulation of immune reactions, antigen recognition by the CNS, the modulation of the immune response by head injury, neurogenic inflammation, the role of tachykinins in asthma and allergic disease, defence and defeat reactions, cytokines, be...

This thesis outlines the development of the very first technology for high-throughput analysis of paired heavy and light-chain antibody sequences, opening an entirely new window for antibody discovery and the investigation of adaptive immune responses to vaccines and diseases.Previous methods for high-throughput immune repertoire sequencing have been unable to provide information on the identity of immune receptor pairs encoded by individual B or T lymphocytes. The author directly ...

Here is an up-to-date review of important new methods and results in anti-idiotypes, receptors, and molecular mimicry. It begins with a discussion of the theoretical background of the anti-idiotypic network, it's role in the regulation of immune response, and the physical characteristics of anti-idiotypic antibodies. It then goes on to explore many exciting applications in such areas as insulin action, thyroid cell function, the...