In her study Elisabeth Salzer describes three novel monogenic diseases. For CD27 deficiency Elisabeth Salzer describes a large cohort of patients. Although all patients shared the same causative missense mutation, they displayed diverse clinical presentations. In another patient she was able to identify a mutation in PRKCD resulting in a primary immunodeficiency with severe Lupus-like autoimmunity. The patient exhibited increased mRNA levels of IL6. Therefore, treatment with Tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody was suggested. In a family with a history of deaths due to inflammatory bowel disease she identified a missense mutation in IL21. She produced wild type and mutated IL-21 protein and demonstrated a loss of function phenotype. As IL-21 is in clinical trials, she proposed a potentially curative treatment option. These discoveries contributed to the understanding of the multifaceted regulatory mechanisms of the immune system and highlighted essential players in these complex signaling networks.

This book presents a detailed overview of the development of new viral vector-based vaccines before discussing two major applications: preventive vaccines for infectious diseases and therapeutic cancer vaccines. Viral vector-based vaccines hold a great potential for development into successful pharmaceutical products and several examples at the advanced pre-clinical or clinical stage are presented. Nevertheless, the most efforts were focused on novel and very innovative technologies for new generation of vector-based vaccines. Furthermore, specific topics such as delivery and adjuvant and protection strategies for cell-mediated-based vaccines are presented. Given its scope, the book is a "must read" for all those involved in vaccine development, both in academia and industrial vaccine development.

The thymus is an evolutionarily ancient primary lymphoid organ common to all vertebrates in which T cell development takes place. Failing thymus function is associated with immunodeficiency and/or autoimmunity. In this volume, leading experts provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in thymopoiesis research. The chapters cover the development of the thymic epithelial microenvironment, address the formation of a diverse and self-tolerant repertoire of T cell receptors as the basis for cellular immunity, discuss the mechanisms by which progenitor cells colonize the thymus and detail the molecular basis for T lineage decisions. The reviews illustrate the important role of the multifaceted process of thymopoiesis for adaptive immunity.

Cancer Vaccines: Methods and Protocols explores the manipulation and modification of immune cells, the manipulation and modification of tumor cells as well as the manipulation of immune/tumor interactions and various delivery mechanisms, with the overall end goal of evoking a tumor-specific response and overcoming the immuno-evasive mechanisms employed by the tumor cells. This detailed volume also covers the subject of cancer vaccines in a more global sense with its section on the advances, challenges, and future of cancer vaccines. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and authoritative, Cancer Vaccines: Methods and Protocols aims to help guide researchers toward developing further generations of cancer vaccines that are both safe and efficacious, with the hope that cancer vaccines will be the standard of care in the very near future.

This book describes the demographic and clinical patterns of Zika infection and evaluates the risk of it spreading to Europe. It reflects the hands-on experience of the author, who as a physician, was faced with the first-ever cases reported in Europe. Providing essential background information on the viral vector, it addresses the various symptoms after infection, and places them in the epidemiological context of past outbreaks. The book addresses the needs of physicians attending patients with infectious diseases, including infectious-disease specialists, pediatricians, internal medicine specialists, general practitioners, obstetricians, tropical medicine and travel medicine specialists, preventive medicine and public health specialists, microbiologists, biologists and vectorial control specialists. It raises clinicians' and travel health clinics' awareness of the evolution of Zika virus outbreaks and the affected areas so that they can include this infection in their differential diagnoses for travelers from those areas.

Immunology: A Comparative Approach discusses the immunological features of a wide range of living organisms. It considers the merits of the laboratory mouse as an immunological representative; opportunities for bypassing technical obstacles in one model by using another; the immunological implications of changes in overall structure, physiology and way of life; and progress made in the study of defence mechanisms in animals and plants of commercial importance. This book is written for students and research workers with some knowledge of mainstream immunology who are curious about the advances, opportunities and challenges in comparative work.

This book will focus on the differentiation and regulation of subsets of CD4+ T cells. It will also cover other aspects of research on these cells, which has made great advances in recent years, such as subsets' plasticity and their role in healthy and disease conditions. The book provides researchers and graduate students with a cutting-edge and comprehensive overview of essential research on CD4+ T cells.

The book serves as a comprehensive resource for scientists and clinicians studying the role of non-coding RNAs in inflammation (viral infections, wound inflammation), human inflammatory diseases (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, diabetes) and innate immunity. It provides a universal reference work comprising both basic and specialized information. Given that ncRNAs represent new therapeutic targets, this volume will also be of interest to industrial biomedical researchers and those involved in drug development.

T-Helper Cells: Methods and Protocols presents a broad selection of cutting edge protocols that will enable the reader to capture the unique features of TH cells with tools developed for the isolation of TH cells from various tissues and subsequent analysis of their functional properties in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Chapters cover methods of isolating T cells from various tissues in mice, protocols for the analysis of T cell function and phenotype using various cutting edge technologies, methods allowing for the manipulation of T cell function in vitro and in vivo and in vivo models of diseases in which T cells play a central role in the pathogenesis. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, T-Helper Cells: Methods and Protocols seeks to serve both professionals and novices with its well-honed methodologies in an effort to further the study of this amazingly versatile and potent cell type.

This book reviews the chemical and biological properties of Artemisia amygdalina Decne, a critically endangered and endemic plant species in the the high-altitude Kashmir Himalayas, which has a high pharmacological potential. It describes the bioactivity-guided isolation of its chemical compounds, their characterization using spectroscopic methods and the development of a simple and reliable RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of the isolated constituents. The authors discuss the potential pharmacological activities of A. amygdalina, such as antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory and antidiabetic effects, and pave the way for future research.

Milton Taylor, Indiana University, offers an easy-to-read and fascinating text describing the impact of viruses on human society. The book starts with an analysis of the profound effect that viral epidemics had on world history resulting in demographic upheavals by destroying total populations. It also provides a brief history of virology and immunology. Furthermore, the use of viruses for the treatment of cancer (viral oncolysis or virotherapy) and bacterial diseases (phage therapy) and as vectors in gene therapy is discussed in detail. Several chapters focus on viral diseases such as smallpox, influenza, polio, hepatitis and their control, as well as on HIV and AIDS and on some emerging viruses with an interesting story attached to their discovery or vaccine development. The book closes with a chapter on biological weapons. It will serve as an invaluable source of information for beginners in the field of virology as well as for experienced virologists, other academics, students, and readers without prior knowledge of virology or molecular biology.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the most notorious pathogens on earth, causing the death of approximately 1.5 million people annually. A major problem in the fight against tuberculosis is the emergence of strains that have acquired resistance to all available antibiotics. One key to the success of M. tuberculosis as a pathogen is its ability to circumvent host immune responses at different levels. This is not only a result of the special makeup of M. tuberculosis in terms of genetic diversity and DNA metabolism and its possession of specialized secretion systems, but also of its ability to hijack the host's innate immune defence mechanisms. In this volume, researchers from different disciplines provide a topical overview of the diverse mechanisms that contribute to the virulence of M. tuberculosis, ranging from their genetic, metabolic and molecular makeup, as well as the complex strategies these bacteria utilize to escape immune destruction within infected hosts.

The innate immune system represents a critical arm of the immune response by providing immediate and robust host defense; however, human studies of its function are often limited by ethical, logistical, and technical obstacles. In Mouse Models of Innate Immunity: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field explore the design and execution of experiments used to thoroughly evaluate critical elements associated with the host innate immune response. The volume opens with methods that are essential for collecting and assessing various primary cells that are highly relevant to innate immunity, and it continues with in vivo protocols commonly used to evaluate the innate immune response in the mouse, including mouse models of respiratory infection, gastrointestinal inflammation, fungal and parasitic diseases, sepsis, and HIV-1 infection. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easy to use, Mouse Models of Innate Immunity: Methods and Protocols will serve the research community by providing expert advice and protocols that allow both experienced and novice investigators to successfully plan, implement, and assess disease processes associated with the innate immune response.

This volume is a collection of immunohematology and transfusion medicine cases, comprised of clinical vignettes and antibody panels with questions based on each case, arranged in a workbook format. The cases are based on real patient problems which are typically encountered and covers a number of common issues and challenging problems in blood banking and transfusion practice. Discussion and resolution of each case is provided in a separate answer section, including up-to-date information on pertinent advances in the field. Written by experts in the field, Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine: A Case Study Approach provides an interactive tool to help make blood banking and transfusion medicine memorable, practical, and relevant to residents and fellows.

In this volume, the authors provide an excellent overview of how far the plant viral vector field has come. The discipline is no longer exclusively in the domain of academics-there is a small, but growing number of small biotechnology companies that exploit plant viruses as the platform for commercial innovation in crop improvement, industrial product manufacturing, and human and veterinary health care.

The collection of chapters in this proceeding volume reflects the latest research presented at the Aegean meeting on Tumor Microenvironment and Cellular Stress held in Crete in Fall of 2012. The book provides critical insight to how the tumor microenvironment affects tumor metabolism, cell stemness, cell viability, genomic instability and more. Additional topics include identifying common pathways that are potential candidates for therapeutic intervention, which will stimulate collaboration between groups that are more focused on elucidation of biochemical aspects of stress biology and groups that study the pathophysiological aspects of stress pathways or engaged in drug discovery.

The studies described in this volume serve as a starting point to familiarize one self with the multifarious differences in epigenetic designs that orchestrate the progression of developing blood cells. They also may serve as a general paradigm for the mechanisms that underpin the control of eukaryotic gene expression. "

This book gives insight into the mechanism of the immune system and the influence of the environment on earth. Further, the book explains the changes that occur in our immune system in the absence of gravity and their fundamental consequences. Several limiting factors for human health and performance in microgravity have been clearly identified as an unacceptable risk for long-term and interplanetary flights. Serious concerns arose whether spaceflight-associated immune system dysfunction ultimately precludes the expansion of human presence beyond Earth's orbit. The immune system has undergone many evolutionary steps to cope with a new and changing environment, but `space` has not been evolutionary experienced before. Through endocrine orchestration of cell functions, cell to cell communications and intracellular mechanisms the human body and his immune system have an enormous capacity to adapt and react to altered environmental conditions. Thus, the special sensitivity to altered gravity renders the immune system an ideal biological model system to understand if and how gravity on Earth is required for the normal function of cells and cellular networks. It is one of the most fundamental challenges to find out, if our organism and our cellular machinery are able to live and to adequately perform without the gravity field of Earth. The book is written for immunologists and researchers in human physiology under normal and stressfull conditions.

From the 40th annual conference of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT), held in Bruges, Belgium in August 2012, this volume covers aspects of clinical applications, muscle oxygenation, cancer, measurement technologies, oxygen transport modelling and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), cell metabolism and brain oxygenation. Each topic was presented by one or two invited speakers, and a series of contributed talks.

In Cytotoxic T-Cells: Methods and Protocols, leading experts in the field provide a collection of state-of-the art methods and protocols encompassing a wide array of systems biology approaches for Cytotoxic T-Cell research. Dived into three main sections, the first part of the volume analyzes the isolation of T Cells along with their expansion and characterization according to different methods. The second part describes required techniques for intracellular signaling, monitoring of antigen T cell specific responses, CTL exosomes, and microscopy and in vivo imaging applied to CTL studies. The final section focuses on specialist applications of molecular methods into the study of CTL, including next generation sequencing of the Jack/stat pathway and CTL involvement in bone remodeling and transplantation. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Cytotoxic T-Cells: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study into concepts of laboratory methods using systems biology.

In the relatively few decades since the introduction of HIV into the human population, variants of the virus have diverged to such an extent that, were the discussion about something other than viruses, said variants could easily be classified as different species. This book will consider these evolutionary variations, as well as the different and, at times, opposing theories attempting to explain them. It will compare and contrast the ways in which the immune system and drugs affect the virus's evolution, and the implications of these for vaccine development. The issue will be explored and explained through "ecological genetics," which postulates that all living organisms have, besides rivals, enemies. This is divergent from the more traditional school of "population genetics," which emphasizes that evolution occurs among rival species (or variants thereof) that compete for niches or resources in a fixed, unreactive environment. Both models will be formulated using mathematical models, which will be included in the book. Finally, it will consider the possibilities for designing a vaccine that blocks HIV from escaping the immune system.

This volume examines all facets of the complex biology of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which play an essential role in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases and immunity to parasites. It highlights the unique mechanisms involved in the regulation of IgE production at both the molecular and cellular level. Furthermore, it discusses in detail novel findings on how the affinity, specificity and cross-reactivity of IgE can fine-tune mast cell responses to allergens. The book also explores the beneficial roles of IgE antibodies in immunity to helminthes and protection against tumors, and how the properties of IgE-mediated immunity are employed in the development of IgE therapeutic antibodies. All chapters were written by respected experts in their fields and will appeal to scientists and clinicians alike.

Recent research has focused attention on the importance of intrinsic antiviral immunity, i.e. immunity mediated by factors that are constitutively expressed in many cells. In this volume, leading experts provide a comprehensive overview of this relatively new and rapidly evolving field. They cover intrinsic proteinaceous antiviral immune effectors, such as the APOBEC3 and TRIM protein families as well as Tetherin and SAMHD1, which were initially discovered by researchers studying HIV-1. Furthermore, the role of RNA interference in antiviral defense in plants and invertebrates, as well as the interplay between microRNAs and viruses in mammalian cells, are analysed. One chapter discusses how intrinsic immunity and viral countermeasures to intrinsic immune effectors drive both pathogen and host evolution, and finally the emerging evidence that DNA damage response proteins restrict infection by DNA viruses is highlighted.

This inclusive work presents a comprehensive update on vaccines for the international traveller. In over 21 chapters, written by leading writers in travel medicine from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, vaccinology for travel is explained in accessible terms with a focus on practical information. An initial introduction to immunology proceeds into common travel-related diseases and a risk-analysis for acquiring them, followed by vaccine administration techniques and examples of how this knowledge can be applied to the traveller with special risks including children, pregnant women and mass travel. The book also provides a summary of current clinical practice with respect to travel medicine in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. This straightforward guide to the administration of vaccines for travellers is intended to be the one-stop for the primary healthcare professional needing authoritative practical information speedily. In addition to basic knowledge in vaccinology, guides are offered as to appropriate vaccine recommendations for travel to global regions together with vaccine contents in order to identify any precautions and contraindications. This text presents assessment and management guidelines for common medical presentations to the travel health professional in primary-care health. Easy reference chapters, with practical management parameters for vaccination for travellers, will confidently guide any knowledge acquired permitting self-responsibility in vaccine-preventable disease prevention. 

In Basophils and Mast Cells: Methods and Protocols, experts in this challenging field explore techniques to research these cells from the most practical point of view. Given the tremendous influence of mast cells and blood-borne basophils over immune system function, this volume intends to aid the reader in the development of better tools for the isolation of these cells from primary tissues, peripheral blood, bone marrow, or cord blood. Also covered are protocols for the in vitro and in vivo study of their functions. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology format, chapters in this book contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls straight from the researchers who use the methods most. Authoritative and easy to use, Basophils and Mast Cells: Methods and Protocols will provide the necessary tools for future research into mast cells and basophils with the goal of aiding in the quest to shed more light on these fascinating cell types.