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In anticipation of the opening of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
and Research lnstitut on the campus of the University of South
Florida, an international symposium, "The First Annual H. Lee
Moffitt Symposium on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics" was held in
Tampa, Florida on January 20-22, 1986. In this first symposium we
decided to present a broad-based series of topics dealing with the
major issues in the field of cancer. These topics ranged from the
biochemistry of the cancer cell to the design of antineoplastic
agents, through tumor cell heterogeneity, treatment of ltuman
neoplasms to immunological aspects of cancer biology and tr atment.
The speakers chosen represented individuals of international
acclaim who are very active in the area of cancer research and
treatment. The symposium brought together scien tists/physicians
from six nations including Austria, Canada, France, Hungary, West
Germany, and of course, the United States. The congeniality of the
participants promoted the friendly exchange of knowledge which, it
is hoped, will greatly hasten the time when successful management
of human cancer will become routine. Future symposia in this series
will be highly focused and will deal with a single facet of this
vast field of cancer research and treatment. Joseph G. Cory, Editor
Andor Szentivanyi, Editor University of South Florida, 1986 V
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This volume presents the Proceedings of the H. Lee
Moffitt International Syn osium on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics
which was held in Tampa, Florida on January 20, 21, and 22, 1986."
In anticipation of the opening of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
and Research lnstitut on the campus of the University of South
Florida, an international symposium, "The First Annual H. Lee
Moffitt Symposium on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics" was held in
Tampa, Florida on January 20-22, 1986. In this first symposium we
decided to present a broad-based series of topics dealing with the
major issues in the field of cancer. These topics ranged from the
biochemistry of the cancer cell to the design of antineoplastic
agents, through tumor cell heterogeneity, treatment of ltuman
neoplasms to immunological aspects of cancer biology and tr atment.
The speakers chosen represented individuals of international
acclaim who are very active in the area of cancer research and
treatment. The symposium brought together scien tists/physicians
from six nations including Austria, Canada, France, Hungary, West
Germany, and of course, the United States. The congeniality of the
participants promoted the friendly exchange of knowledge which, it
is hoped, will greatly hasten the time when successful management
of human cancer will become routine. Future symposia in this series
will be highly focused and will deal with a single facet of this
vast field of cancer research and treatment. Joseph G. Cory, Editor
Andor Szentivanyi, Editor University of South Florida, 1986 V
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This volume presents the Proceedings of the H. Lee
Moffitt International Syn osium on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics
which was held in Tampa, Florida on January 20, 21, and 22, 1986."
Endotoxins are constituents of all gram negative bacteria, as well
as many other microorganisms. Since their original discovery and
study at the beginning and middle parts of this century, many
investigations have been performed concerning their immunochemistry
and physicochemistry, as well as their pharmacologic activities and
physiologic effects on the host. It became widely recognized during
the beginning of this century that the pyrogenicity of many
microbial infections may be associated with endotoxins.
Furthermore, some 80 years ago, attempts were begun to "treat" a
variety of illnesses including neoplasia, with such "pyrogens,"
Le., bacterial endo toxins. Inconclusive results were observed
including some detrimental ones as well as, in some cases,
beneficial ones. It became widely accepted that during infections
with many gram negative organisms the fever occurring in patients,
as well as many of the untoward pathophysiological effects of the
infections, seemed to be due to the endotoxin the bacteria
contained or released. In this regard, septic shock has been
studied in detail by many clinicians, physiologists and
pharmacologists and attempts have been made to relate the
devastating effects of infection on metabolic and physiologic
alterations caused by endotoxins. Recently, however, many
beneficial effects of endotoxin have also been studied."
Immunopharmacology as a field of scientific endeavor had its
origins more than thirty years ago in the application of
antibody-based techniques to assays of hormones and drugs in
tissues and body fluids. More recently, the field has been
redefined to include a primary focus on the immune system as a
target of xenobiotic action. Advances in the field of immunology
have made it apparent that the immune system, like other organ
systems, declines in its function as a result of aging, viral
infections like AIDS, and other immunotoxic influences, giving rise
to secondary immunodeficiency. Deficiencyof the immune system in
turn leads to infections, autoimmune diseases, and an increased
incidence of certain cancers. The notion of treating the failing
immune system is relatively new; however, more than a decade of
research on cancer and AIDS has created the burgeoning new clinical
field of immunotherapy. Immunopharmacology then stands as the
preclinical and clinical science of immune manipulation. As such,
like its parent field of pharmacology, it includes within its scope
basic studies of immune mechanisms as they relate to the
pathogenesis of inflammation and immunologic disturbances. As with
pharma cology, the perspective is always a therapeutic one. Studies
of immune and inflammatory processes emphasize the use of
pharmacologic probes and drugs to elucidate the underlying
biochemical pharmacology.
This publication is based on a Symposium that has been held in
Clearwater, Florida on February 19-21, 1986, on antibodies, their
structure, synthesis, function, and clinical applicability in
disease. Organization of this symposium by the University of South
Florida College of Medicine was prompted by the unparalleled
current expansion of information on these topics in general, and in
the field of antibody diver sity, in particular. The issues that
surround the last named dimension of this field, began to surface
in the late 1950's with the first conclusive genetic studies having
been answered, and a new set of concepts has been de fined. As we
see it from the material presented in this volume, now new and
different questions are being raised and answered by studies in
progress, and it may be expected that there will be other questions
that will be with us for a considerably longer time. We believe
that the symposium brought together many prominent investi gators
with different backgrounds and training experiences such as
immunolo gists, microbiologists, biochemists, molecular biologists,
and clinical sci entists, thus providing an excellent example of
the interdisciplinary value of modern immunology and modern
biomedical science in general. We believe, therefore, that bringing
these complex topics to a wide audience of bio medical scientists
through this symposium as well as this volume is of value to the
scientific and to the medical community."
'A thoroughly enjoyable and very useful work. As the editors say in
their preface, 'we have intended these reviews to be the best by
the best'-they make this point very convincingly.' -ASM News, from
a review of Volume 1 This series continues to present the most
current findings in the field of immune manipulation. Here, twelve
chapters provide detailed coverage of cancer, microbial, and
allergy immunopharmacology as well as autoimmunity and
neuroimmunomodulation.
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