This book highlights progress and trends in the rapidly evolving field of complement-related drug discovery and spotlights examples of clinical applications. As an integral part of innate immunity and critical mediator in homeostatic and inflammatory processes, the human complement system has been identified as contributor to a large number of disorders including ocular, cardiovascular, metabolic, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases as well as in ischemia/reperfusion injury, cancer and sepsis. In addition, complement is often involved in adverse immune reactions to biomaterials, cell and organ transplants or drug delivery systems. Although the complement cascade with its close to 50 extracellular protein targets has long been recognized as an attractive system for therapeutic modulation, the past few years have seen a particularly strong boost in interest. Fueled by novel research insight and the marketing of the first complement-targeted drugs, a plethora of highly creative treatment approaches and potent drug candidates have recently emerged and are currently evaluated in disease models and clinical trials. The chapters in this book cover a wide range of topics related to the development of complement therapeutics, ranging from the molecular and functional description of complement targets to the presentation of novel inhibitors, improved treatment strategies as well as examples of disease models and clinical applications. The broad and up-to-date overview on a highly versatile and dynamic field renders this book an indispensable source of information for researchers and clinicians dealing with therapeutic and disease-related aspects of the human complement system.

This volume presents a collection of reviews derived from work presented at the Aegean Conference: "4th Crossroads between innate and adaptive immunity". This meeting was the fourth 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. The importance of the crosstalk between innate immunity and the adaptive immune response has only recently started to be appreciated. Although it is well recognized that dendritic cells, NK cells, NK-T cells and T cells are all critical for the host response to pathogens, the respective fields that study the biology of these immune cells tend to exist in parallel worlds with minimum exchange of information and ideas. This fragmentation hinders the integration of these fields towards a unified theory of host response. The Aegean Conference "Crossroads between Innate and Adaptive Immunity" brought together leading international scientists and experts to address critical areas of Innate and Adaptive immunity something necessary for the development of more efficient scientific exchange and crosspollination between these fields. This conference attracted scientists from all over the world to discuss their latest findings on the various aspects of Innate and Adaptive immunity. The conference had limited participation and a scientific and social program that maximized scientific interchange through lecture presentations, poster sessions and informal discussions.

Given the vital importance of immune system research, the gathering of clear, consistent, and informative protocols involving the study of dendritic cells is paramount. Bringing the popular first edition fully up to date, Dendritic Cell Protocols, Second Edition presents protocols from experts in the field that cover the basics and more complex forays into the exploration of DC development and function, both in mice and humans. The first section of the volume involving humans explores topics such as the isolation of blood DC subtypes, primary skin Langerhans cells, and the generation of gene-manipulated human DCs with the inclusion of more clinically relevant methods as well, while the second section involving rodent models delves into DC and precursor generation in vitro, isolation ex vivo, disease models, as well as DC functions and properties. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biologya" series style, chapters include introductions to their respective subjects, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Dendritic Cell Protocols, Second Edition aims to become a bench-side handbook for both beginners and experts in the field of DC research and a long-term reference for some of the most popular methods put forward by those who lead the field.

This volume is devoted to the application of microorganisms in medical treatment and health protection. Topics discussed include the role of probiotics in immune modulation, in prevention of influenza, and in atopic dermatitis. Further chapters cover aspects such as the relation of the gut microbiome and stress, the immune system, the regulation of inflammation, the benefits of Bifidobacterium for infants, and bacteriocin in medical applications, as well as the use of in vitro models of the gastrointestinal tract, omics approaches for targeting microbial health potential and the production of hepatitis B vaccines. This volume will be of particular interest to scientists working in the fields of clinical medicine, applied microbiology, pharmacy and public health.

Offering a basis for further research into the interactions of hosts and pathogens, this work gathers up-to-date findings, and details basic structures, functions and immunology. It provides descriptions of a variety of experimental endotoxin neutralizing agents, as well as a guide to clinical research initiatives and the latest treatments.

"Theoretically, one should obtain essentially the same clinical picture from failure of an end-organ to respond to a hormone as from a decreased production or absence of said hormone. " With these words, Fuller Albright began his now classic paper describing a novel disease, pseudo hypoparathyroidism (PHP), and a novel concept, hormone resis- tance as a cause of disease. Soon, other hormone resistance disorders such as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) were recognized, and the concept was extended to resistance to other substances such as calcium ions in familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH). Later, diseases characterized by excess rather than deficient hormone action such as McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) and familial male precocious puberty (FMPP) were recognized to be caused by autonomous endocrine hyperfunction. Although many i!!vestigators provided careful and detailed descriptions of the clinical features of these and other related endocrine disorders, an understanding of pathogenesis proved elusive for many years. In just the past few years, we have gone from clinical description to a molecular understanding of these interesting disorders. This remarkable progress reflects a synthe- sis of three distinct, but now overlapping, areas of biomedical research: the aforemen- tioned recognition and careful clinical description of specific diseases, the elucidation of the basic mechanisms of signal transduction, and the application of the powerful tools of molecular biology and genetics. Fundamental studies on the mechanisms of hormone action by Rodbell and colleagues at NIH culminated in the discovery of a major signal transduction pathway involving heterotrimeric G proteins.

Malaria causes more death and disease than any other parasitic pathogen known today. This multiauthored text covers the important areas of malaria research, particularly focusing on those sectors which are of clinical importance for the understanding of the disease, the parasite, and its vector.
The chapter authors are all leading experts within their own particular fields. The biology and molecular biology of the parasite, the clinical spectrum of the disease, the pathogenesis of malaria, and the immunology and emergence of malaria vaccines are some examples of the scientific spheres that are discussed.
The book is suitable as a text for graduate students and clinicians as well as researchers at universities and companies involved in treating or studying infectious diseases.

Designed with academic vaccine researchers in mind, this book presents a road map of how a vaccine develops from an idea in a researcher's imagination, to the lab bench, through preclinical evaluation, and into the clinic for safety and immunogenicity. The result of the editors' own efforts to glean practical information on the steps necessary to manufacture, bottle, and test their vaccines for clinical trials, this book provides answers to researcher questions such as:
o How do I identify antigens that would produce effective vaccines?
o Can I produce a clinical lot of vaccine in my laboratory?
o How should a vaccine be bottled?
o Which FDA expectations must I meet?
o What is an IND application and how do I file it?
o Which CFRs apply to production of a vaccine?

The most practical and clinical reasons for attempting to understand the immunology of infections and disease revolves around the CD137 and CD137/41BB receptor and ligand molecules. This book covers all aspects of CD137/4-1BB pathway research from microbiology, infectious disease, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics to immune responses and potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. This pathway is emerging as one of the most important targets for manipulation of immune responses for disease diagnosis and treatment. This book is written by the man who discovered the CD-137 and B7H1 molecules in 1999.

Recent research has revealed the importance of immunological mechanisms and inflammation in delaying damage and/or promoting repair after an acute injury to the central nervous system. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the role of immunological mechanisms and therapies for treating acute neurological injuries such as cerebral ischemia, hemorrhage, and brain and spinal cord trauma. In several sections, the contributing authors provide a review of immunological mechanisms involved in neurological injury and of various translational and clinical research aimed at harnessing those mechanisms for better patient outcomes.

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.

This book provides a systematic review of the development, function, and patho-physiologic role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in humans. The chapters of the book discuss the origin and discovery, hematopoietic development as well as molecular regulation of pDCs in the context of immune activation as well as immune tolerance. It also discusses the role of pDCs in human diseases, including infections, autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, cancers and metabolic disorders, and opportunities for pDC-targeting therapies in these varied clinical contexts.

Wolf's discovery demonstrating that a reporter gene is expressed in myocytes subsequent to injection of naked DNA, was exploited by immunologists and vaccinologists to develop a new generation of vaccines. This observation galvanized the research and in a short lapse of time, an oceanic volume of knowledge has been accumulated. The research carried out in a variety of animal models showed the efficacy of genetic immunization against viruses, bacteria, and some parasites by the ability to induce a strong priming effect resulting from long-lasting persistence of plasmid as episomes. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that newborn or infant immune unresponsiveness to classical vaccines can be corrected by genetic immunization. The applications of genetic immunization for prophylaxis of infections was extended to immunotherapy, namely, cancerous, auto immune, and allergic diseases. Immunologists have provided pertinent information on the cellular basis of the immune responses elicited by genetic immunization, and molecular biologists have established the molecular basis of intrinsic adjuvant properties of plasmids."

Recent outbreaks of swine influenza and avian influenza, along with the remaining and in some cases expanding threats from HIV, dengue virus, and the viruses causing hepatitis, have reinforced the need for rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of viral disease. Diagnostic Virology Protocols, Second Edition brings the field fully up-to-date with a focus on protocols involving nucleic acid detection, most often through some form of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The expert contributors also delve into the key technology of robotics as well as future prospects, such as further refined point-of-care testing and the increasing importance of mathematical modelling. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include brief 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 cutting-edge, Diagnostic Virology Protocols, Second Edition captures the dramatic changes in the virus diagnostic laboratory in order to better prepare scientists to combat the inevitable threats to public health from future and present infectious diseases.

The lung forms an integral part of the body's immune system and is subject to a range of diseases which are either autoimmune in nature or have clear-cut immunological abnormalities. "Autoimmune Aspects of Lung Disease" provides a concise review of the lung's role in the immune system and a detailed account of both primary and secondary lung diseases which are characterised by immunological perturbation or frank autoimmunity. The volume presents a detailed, up-to-date account of disorders ranging from infection to neoplasia and is written in both an informative and stimulating style by a prestigious group of authors. The chapters are extensively referenced and provide numerous insights into the aetiopathogenesis and clinical features and treatment of immunologically-linked pulmonary disease. The book is intended as both an overview for physicians and scientists with an established interest in diseases of the lung, immunologists seeking to learn more about relevant disorders in the lung and general physicians, whether specialists or in training, seeking to enrich their knowledge of the links between the pulmonary and immune systems.

The book presents current affairs of Sporotrichosis as emergent disease with emphasis on the potential factors associated with genetic polymorphisms in Sporothrix complex. Constitutive and inducible factors play an essential role in the response of the fungal cell to the environment as determinant in the immunopathogenicity, highlighting clinical forms of Sporotrichosis and host immunocompetence. Also, a current issue interest in zoonotic transmission showing that a cat is the animal species most affected by Sporothrix species and their importance in the involvement in the human transmission. Readers can associate parameters of experimental immune response to disease development as well as the diagnostic, prophylaxis, and therapies that can be applied in the near future.

Case Studies in Immunology presents major topics of immunology through a selection of clinical cases that reinforce and extend the basic science. Each case history is preceded by essential scientific facts about the immunological mechanisms of that specific disorder. The cases themselves demonstrate how immunological problems are deconstructed in the clinic and each one is followed by a concise summary of the clinical finding with questions that serve as discussion points.

Describes the immunological aspects of blood transfusion medicine, examining the immuno-chemistry of blood group antigens, the immune destruction of cells, correlations between blood groups and disease, and the effect transfusion-induced retroviral infection has on immune response.

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.

Pocket Guide to Gene Level Diagnostics in Clinical Practice is an abbreviated, pocket-size, quick-reference guide that provides a point-by-point synopsis of the vast wealth of information contained in CRC Handbook of Gene Level Diagnostics in Clinical Practice. All sections and subsections in the Pocket Guide are cross-referenced to corresponding pages in the Handbook. The book works well on its own as a quick reference, but also can be used in conjunction with the larger Handbook for detailed coverage and references to specific information. Pocket Guide to Gene Level Diagnostics in Clinical Practice also includes extensive supplements featuring material not included in the Handbook. These are intended to provide an up-dated, practical source of information useful to anyone involved in molecular diagnostic research and/or service. Supplements are cross-referenced to the main text of the Pocket Guide, that complement and enhance the material covered. Pocket Guide to Gene Level Diagnostics in Clinical Practice will be a handy reference for professionals and students in pathology, biotechnology, biology, and medicine.