Host Defense and Parasite Evasion
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin in Parasitology, 2023
A complete overview of basic immunology is beyond the scope of this text. Our focus here is immunoparasitology—the immunology governing the relationship between parasites and their hosts. Yet it is imperative that anyone attempting to comprehend this relationship be well grounded in the basic functioning of immune processes. Courses in immunology will provide this essential background. Alternatively, for those lacking this background or for those who would like a brief refresher on basic vertebrate immunology, a full review is provided on the website associated with this book, https://www.routledge.com/Parasitology-A-Conceptual-Approach/Loker-Hofkin/p/book/9780367228880. Readers are recommended to examine this material before proceeding.
Ethics of Product Failure and the Courts
Howard Winet in Ethics for Bioengineering Scientists, 2021
One of the principle functions of a judge is deciding if evidence being presented by a witness is relevant to the issues being adjudicated. If not, it is inadmissible. The guidelines for making this determination are called the rules of evidence. State courts and federal courts each have their own rules of evidence and may actually disagree. The emergence of junk science in the silicone breast implant cases raised a new challenge to the rules of evidence. Can there be guidelines for determining if an expert witness is relevant to the issues? Can a general practitioner be considered an expert in immunology? If not, then the conclusions she would present must be considered no better than junk science and would be inadmissible. The case that established the first attempt by the federal courts to deal with this challenge was Daubert v. Merrill Dow. The case had nothing to do with breast implants. But its verdict was a supreme court decision and, therefore, set guidelines for all federal courts. It charged federal judges with making two determinations:Is the evidence being presented scientifically valid?Is the connection between the evidence being presented and the case in point valid?
Convalescent Plasma and Antibody Therapy in COVID-19
Debmalya Barh, Kenneth Lundstrom in COVID-19, 2022
Immunology itself is a highly complicated field, and recently has been one of the main topics of research globally. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the studies on understanding immunopathology of many diseases, thus consequently leading to various possible treatment methods. More in-depth studies are required to understand the mechanism of COVID-19 immunopathogenesis in order to implement the most successful immunotherapy strategies [1]. Until now there has been no single molecule or antibody sufficient on its own for the treatment of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, each COVID-19 case needs to be evaluated individually to assess the prognosis and progress of the disease, and to design the immunotherapy accordingly, whether monotherapy or combination therapies.
New horizons in clinical immunology: applications of induced pluripotent stem cells for the analysis of immune disorders
Published in Immunological Medicine, 2018
Hirofumi Shoda, Bunki Natsumoto, Keishi Fujio
Clinical immunology focuses on investigations of human immunological diseases. This pursuit often requires intensive analysis of human subjects. However, this approach is relatively difficult compared with the use of experimental animals. As discussed below, the emergence of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) solves some parts of these problems in human studies and opens a new horizon for disease research in humans. iPSCs are characterized by their enormous proliferation capacity and the capability to differentiate into all cell types. In 1981, Evans and Martin [1,2] established mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, and Thomson [3] succeeded in establishing human ES cells in 1998. However, since it is necessary to use surplus embryos (pre-implantation embryos) or in vitro fertilized eggs to prepare human ES cells, ethical problems can arise. In 2006, Yamanaka successfully generated pluripotent stem cells by introducing four genes (Oct3 4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc) into mouse somatic cells (fibroblasts), naming them iPSCs [4]. He also established iPSCs in humans in 2007 [5]. iPSCs can be maintained in an undifferentiated state with pluripotency, form colonies, and proliferate without limit. Thereafter, the possibility of human research using pluripotent stem cells greatly expanded, and the ethical problems associated with ES cells were largely overcome. Currently, applications for human disease research, drug screening, and regenerative medicine using human iPSCs are being developed.
Biomarker-driven development of new therapies for autoimmune diseases: current status and future promises
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2023
Laurence Laigle, Loubna Chadli, Philippe Moingeon
AIDs are by nature complex and heterogeneous chronic conditions [25,26]. A delayed diagnosis often impairs treatment decisions and control of disease progression. Even if there are commonalities in clinical and biological features between various AIDs, current classifications are established by disease. However, within a single AID, there is most often considerable variation in clinical manifestations and severity. These features drove a strong interest to understand molecular patterns associated with disease pathophysiology, which were not initially considered to establish AID classifications [27]. AIDs are distinguished as systemic or organ-specific, depending upon the location(s) of autoimmune damages. According to the ‘continuum model’ of immunology, such diseases lie on a spectrum from autoimmune to autoinflammatory where the relative contributions of both innate and adaptive immune responses differ [28]. This model reflects that some underlying inflammatory processes are shared across several AIDs. Recent advances from the PRECISESADS IMI Project [29] documented that patients suffering from either one of seven systemic AIDs (including SLE, pSS, RA, and systemic sclerosis) can be classified into the same four clusters characterized by either inflammatory, lymphoid, interferon (IFN), or healthy-like molecular signatures, based on transcriptome and methylome data. These findings confirm that molecular stratification independent of clinical diagnosis can support PM treatment strategies tailored to the patient’s characteristics.
Regulatory T cells: the future of autoimmune disease treatment
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2019
Monika Ryba-Stanisławowska, Justyna Sakowska, Maciej Zieliński, Urszula Ławrynowicz, Piotr Trzonkowski
The possibility to successfully modulating the immune system to facilitate tolerance development in autoimmune diseases is one of the top achievements of modern immunology. Since the first successful Tregs transfer, many clinical trials have been carried out in different patients cohorts that show beneficial effects on immunity modulation. Now biological drugs are also available that may increase this effect by stimulating/blocking particular pathways in cells. It is an excellent opportunity to combine it in a single therapy to boost the impact of Tregs therapies. We anticipate that some of these biological drugs like rapamycin or OX40 blockade will help to increase Tregs functionality in autoimmunity and transplantation settings. Also, CAR therapies are of particular interest because of their relative simplicity to target them against any cells of interest, and as shown in this review, use them not only against the malignancy but also for tolerance development. Likewise, progress in research on immunosenescence raised an interesting question, whether Tregs may be improved by slowing down the process of cell senescence? The first therapies in this field seem to bring some exciting concerns on this idea, but many questions need to be answered, especially the safety of the treatment and the risk of carcinogenesis. Nevertheless, the more we know how immunity works, the more effective therapies are developed.
Related Knowledge Centers
- In Vitro
- In Vivo
- Physiology
- Immunity
- Immune System
- Hypersensitivity
- Autoimmune Disease
- Immunodeficiency
- Transplant Rejection
- Phagocytosis