The concept of immunotherapy was in infancy when the first edition was written, and then major advances have been made not only with several major clinical trials, but also with the approval of Sipuleucel-T by the FDA for the treatment of cancer in 2010, resulting in a gradually narrowing gap between early scientific knowledge and the late development of immune-based therapies. Consequently, the significance and magnitude of these advances warrant a revision of this contribution--a revised edition that will provide a deeper understanding of the recent advances and discoveries of the function on the immune response and their applications in the development of novel therapies to treat human diseases. During the past five years, there have been significant advances in the understanding of the basic function of the immune response, and their relevant clinical applications. Some of the key discoveries include the identification of the new subset of helper T cells, new cytokines and their networks, and novel signal transduction mechanisms. For example, the identification of Th17 subset of helper T cells, in addition to Th1 and Th2 cells, not only advanced our understanding of the function of the basic immune response, but our awareness of the possible etiology and pathogenesis of diseases such as allergy, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other auto-immune/immune system based diseases. The newly identified powerful cytokine networks, that regulate both innate and acquired immune responses, emerged as a result of the finding of the new cell types such as innate lymphoid cells and iNKT. Identification of the new cytokines and their networks have advanced our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, including inflammation and tissue repair during stress and injury. For the clinical application’s perspective, there have been significant advances in oral immunotherapy for allergic disease, the treatment of HIV infection, the development of new monoclonal antibodies and their fragments to treat human diseases, and the immune cell based therapies for cancer. The development of HIV vaccines has seen dramatic changes over the last few years. There has been a shift from a sole focus on T cell vaccines to a holistic approach that pertains to the induction of both humoral and cellular elements. This entails induction of antibodies – both binding and neutralizing – to prevent infection. The cellular vaccination produces a safety net of CD8 T-cell responses to suppress the replication of the virus in the infected patients; and both of the effector arms are aided by helper T cells.  

Product Description: This volume presents a collection of reviews derived from work presented at the Aegean Conference: “5th Crossroads Between Innate and Adaptive Immunity”. This meeting was the fifth in a series, and assembled a team of scientists working on mechanisms by which the innate immune system of the host senses pathogens, the cellular and signaling networks that orchestrate the innate response and antigen presentation and adaptive immunity...read more

Product Description: This book is centered on a comprehensive list of MHC peptide motifs and ligands as known to date, together with selected T cell epitopes, arranged in an easy-to-read fashion. This information is put into context by chapters on MHC gene organization, MHC structure, T cell epitope prediction, antigen processing and T cell responses...read more

Product Description: This volume is a product of a collaborative effort and attempts to provide a wide and up-to-date coverage of information regarding the biology and on the potential application of immunostimulatory DNA. ISS hold great promise for influencing the immune response and the authors anticipate that the high efficacy and low toxicity observed in animal models will translate into success in a variety of human clinical applications...read more

Product Description: Immunofluorescence, a suitable laboratory method for the microscopic demonstration of antigens and antibodies in biological materials, useable, for example, to provide evidence for the pathogenesis of disease in histological or cytological preparations and for tumour cell differentiation...read more

Product Description: Book by Reid, Eric, Cook, G.M.W., Morre, D.J.

Product Description: Autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) is a classical autoimmune disease, for which the target antigen, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, has been cloned, sequenced and biochemically characterized. Antibodies to acetylcholine receptors destroy acetylcholine receptor at the neuromuscular junction, thus leading to defective neuromuscular transmission, muscle fatigue, and weakness...read more

Product Description: Several years ago, two of us published a full-length textbook entitled Nutrition and Immunology: Principles and Practice. The book was aca­ demically successful and well received by our peers. Our colleagues commented that while the book was eminently suitable for a library, there was still an intellectual need for a more concise volume on nutrition and immunology for health care providers and scientists working at the inter­ face of delivering therapeutic and/or preventive health care...read more

Product Description: Herbs and spices are among the most versatile ingredients in food processing, and alongside their sustained popularity as flavourants and colourants they are increasingly being used for their natural preservative and potential health-promoting properties...read more

Product Description: A team of expert investigators and clinical researchers comprehensively review complement's basic biology, its role in disease, methods to measure its activity, and strategies for its inhibition in patients. Each chapter focuses on a specific area of basic and applied complement biology, spelling out the activation pathways and complement receptors...read more

Product Description: Deficiencies in any of the defense mechanisms of the host can lead to severe microbial infections; these are of clinical relevance. Broad up-to-date knowledge in this field allows identification of many unspecific as well as highly specific defense reactions involved in the struggle against infectious diseases...read more

Product Description: Bacterial CpG-DNA sequences not only serve for genetic information but act as "danger" signal to alert immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells. CpG-DNA directly causes activation of these members of the innate immune system yielding in up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines...read more

Product Description: A guide to the healing and detoxifying effects of fever • Explains how to best support the body during the 3 different stages of fever through the use of hydrotherapy, medicinal herbs, and diet • Provides guidelines to know when a fever is too high or has gone on too long • Shows how to create an artificial fever to detoxify the body Contrary to popular belief, a fever is not a symptom to be treated but a sign of a healthy, functioning immune system naturally working to heal the body...read more

Product Description: In Antibody Phage Display expert researchers explore the latest in this cutting-edge technology, providing an invaluable resource that will guide readers in the design and execution of experiments based around antibody phage display.

Product Description: Almost 30 years ago RITOSSA described a new puffing pattern in salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila following heat shock. This was the first description of a heat shock response. For years, development in this field remained modest and it took another decade before the relevant gene products-the heat shock proteins (hsp's)-were made visible by TISSIERES and co-workers...read more

Product Description: In 1822, E. Metchnikoff discovered phagocytosis while he was studying starfish larvae. The following year, while carrying out experiments on Daphnia (Crustacea), the same author demonstrated the scale of the phe nomen in the defence of the organism...read more

Focussing on the molecular mechanisms that govern mast cell and basophil cell biology and function, this book also provides a comprehensive summary of the field of signal transduction, giving insights into areas that have therapeutic potential. It gives detailed insights into mast cell and basophil growth and development, their activation by allergens, including details of receptor activation and downstream events, and the regulators of morphology and degranulation. The metabolic pathways involved in prostaglandin and leukotriene production are discussed as is the role of transcription factors in mast cell growth and cytokine production. Written by leaders in the field, this volume will provide readers with an up-to-date account of a topic whose rapid progress makes conventional information gathering difficult.

Product Description: Leading researchers synthesize scattered experimental data to help develop an intimate understanding of how cytokines and chemokines are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. The many chapters offer critical reviews the basic mechanisms controlling cytokine induction and regulation, as well as the resulting production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, the former of which induces organ-specific autoimmune diseases...read more

Product Description: The way in which probiotics work is still not clearly defined, but it is becoming more and more apparent that immune stimulation is an important feature in some of the observed effects. In the previous two books in this series the scientific basis and the practical applications were considered...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

This volume contains chapters dealing with the isolation and functional characterization of cells involved in innate immunity in mouse and man, including mast cells and eosinophils, and with several chapters focusing on natural killer cells. These approaches and models are being used to dissect the complex interplay between hosts and pathogens, and contribute to developing strategies to help fight infection.

Covering one of the hottest topics in immunology today, this book provides a comprehensive view of all types of regulatory T cells described so far in the literature. The book will have broad appeal to both researchers and clinicians.