This thoroughly revised and updated new edition provides outstanding coverage of the most important aspects of immunology. Assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, the book gives step-by-step detail on topics such as antigens, hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, reproductive immunity and immunodeficiency. There is an accompanying website with supplementary material.

This text is aimed at students with no previous knowledge of immunology and for those studying immunology as part of another degree course. It provides a grounding in the concepts of both basic and clinical immunology. A software package of MCQ questions is included.

National Bestseller "Gives you all the context you need to understand the science of immunity. ... An Elegant Defense left me with [a] sense of awe.” —Bill Gates, Gates Notes Summer Reading List The Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist "explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system" (Jerome Groopman, MD, New York Review of Books) From New York Times science journalist Matt Richtel, An Elegant Defense is an acclaimed and definitive exploration of the immune system and the secrets of health. Interweaving cutting-edge science with the intimate stories of four individual patients, this epic, first-of-its-kind book “give[s] lay readers a means of understanding what’s known so far about the intricate biology of our immune systems” (The Week). The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. An Elegant Defense effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to today’s laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. Drawing on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”

The Immune Response is a unique reference work covering the basic and clinical principles of immunology in a modern and comprehensive fashion. Written in an engaging conversational style, the book conveys the broad scope and fascinating appeal of immunology. The book is beautifully illustrated with superb figures as well as many full color plates. This extraordinary work will be an invaluable resource for lecturers and graduate students in immunology, as well as a vital reference for research scientists and clinicians studying related areas in the life and medical sciences. - Current and thorough 30 chapter reference reviewed by luminaries in the field - Unique 'single voice' ensures consistency of definitions and concepts - Comprehensive and elegant illustrations bring key concepts to life - Provides historical context to allow fuller understanding of key issues - Introductory chapters 1-4 serve as an 'Immunology Primer' before topics are discussed in more detail

Immunology has progressed in spectacular fashion in the last four decades. Studies of the response to infectious agents, transplanted organs and tumours (and the potential to manipulate that response), and the study of the immune system as a model system in molecular cell biology have yielded dramatic advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of immunity.The field has attracted a continuous stream of the brightest theoretical and experimental scientists for over forty years. This book conveys the philosophies and approaches of sixteen of the most successful of these scientists in the form of a series of narratives that describe the circumstances that led to a major discovery in immunology. Contributors not only recall an exciting period of research that helped shape modern immunology, but set it in the personal context of place and time. Jacques Miller, for example, describes the discovery of the function of the thymus, Rolf Zinkernagel explains how experiments on viral immunity led to the discovery of MHC restriction and Susumu Tonegawa provides an account of how antibody gene structure was defined. Medically-important discoveries include descriptions of early studies of autoimmunity by Noel Rose and of tumour immunology by George and Eva Klein.Far from being a collection of disinterested, historical accounts, this volume comprises a series of passionately biographical, personal essays that provide an unusually intimate insight into the scientific process. This book will be essential, and fascinating, reading for all those with an interest in immunology, and in the life sciences in general. For students and teachers, this will provide the background necessary for a true understanding of immunology, and to place subsequent discoveries in perspective.

Written in the same engaging conversational style as the acclaimed first edition, Primer to The Immune Response, 2nd Edition is a fully updated and invaluable resource for college and university students in life sciences, medicine and other health professions who need a concise but comprehensive introduction to immunology. The authors bring clarity and readability to their audience, offering a complete survey of the most fundamental concepts in basic and clinical immunology while conveying the subject's fascinating appeal. The content of this new edition has been completely updated to include current information on all aspects of basic and clinical immunology. The superbly drawn figures are now in full color, complemented by full color plates throughout the book. The text is further enhanced by the inclusion of numerous tables, special topic boxes and brief notes that provide interesting insights. At the end of each chapter, a self-test quiz allows students to monitor their mastery of major concepts, while a set of conceptual questions prompts them to extrapolate further and extend their critical thinking. Moreover, as part of the Academic Cell line of textbooks, Primer to The Immune Response, 2nd Edition contains research passages that shine a spotlight on current experimental work reported in Cell Press articles. These articles also form the basis of case studies that are found in the associated online study guide and are designed to reinforce clinical connections. - Complete yet concise coverage of the basic and clinical principles of immunology - Engaging conversational writing style that is to the point and very readable - Over 200 clear, elegant color illustrations - Comprehensive glossary and list of abbreviations

Modern immunology traditionally conceives of the immune system as providing defense against pathogens. Alfred I. Tauber criticizes this conception of immunity as too narrow, because it discounts much of the immune system's other normal functions. These include active tolerance of nutritional exchanges with the environment and the stabilization of cooperative relationships with resident micro-organisms. An expanded account extends immunity's functional role from singular 'defense' to broadened discernment of environmental 'exchange.' This ecological perspective has profound theoretical implications, for the basic notion of immune identity is reconfigured: highlighting the organism as a holobiont (a consortium of diverse organisms living in cooperative relationships) challenges prevailing concepts of individuality and the self/nonself dichotomy heretofore organizing immune theory. Indeed, if theoretical interest is focused on the challenges of maintaining immune balance in the full ecological context of the organism, then immune regulation assumes new complexity. Tauber maintains that the key to unravelling that puzzle requires a critical re-assessment of the cognitive processes that underlie immune effector functions. Accordingly, he provides the outline of a re-formulated 'cognitive paradigm' that dispenses with agent-based models and adopts an ecologically conceived understanding of perception and information processing. The implications of this revised configuration of immunity and its deconstructed notions of individuality and selfhood have wide significance for philosophers and life scientists working in immunology, ecology, and the cognitive sciences.

Immunology is a fast evolving subject, and attempt has been made in this work to keep it as much up-to-date as possible according to the requirement of the students and researchers in the field. Immunology is the study of how the body defends itself against disease. It helps us understand how the immune system is tricked into attacking its own tissue, leading to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes or allergy. Immunodeficiency disorders involve malfunction of the immune system, resulting in infections that develop and recur more frequently, are more severe, and last longer than usual. Biochemistry is the study of how cells work at molecular level. Biochemistry, and the related field of molecular biology, are important in understanding the molecular basis of life and its role in the disease process. Biochemistry is the investigation of the molecular basis of life. Throughout the history of this scientific discipline, biochemists have worked to reveal the fundamental chemical and physical principles that underlie living processes, their success is demonstrated in the enormous impact that the biochemical approach has had on the life sciences. This book reviews the principles of immunology and biochemistry, provides basic concepts of it by extracting the important information on immunology and peasants it in a concise, uncluttered fashion to prepare students for their courses.

“Visceral.”—Wall Street Journal “Illuminating.”—Publishers Weekly “Heroic.”—Science The immune system holds the key to human health. In The Beautiful Cure, leading immunologist Daniel M. Davis describes how the scientific quest to understand how the immune system works—and how it is affected by stress, sleep, age, and our state of mind—is now unlocking a revolutionary new approach to medicine and well-being. The body’s ability to fight disease and heal itself is one of the great mysteries and marvels of nature. But in recent years, painstaking research has resulted in major advances in our grasp of this breathtakingly beautiful inner world: a vast and intricate network of specialist cells, regulatory proteins, and dedicated genes that are continually protecting our bodies. Far more powerful than any medicine ever invented, the immune system plays a crucial role in our daily lives. We have found ways to harness these natural defenses to create breakthrough drugs and so-called immunotherapies that help us fight cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and many age-related diseases, and we are starting to understand whether activities such as mindfulness might play a role in enhancing our physical resilience. Written by a researcher at the forefront of this adventure, The Beautiful Cure tells a dramatic story of scientific detective work and discovery, of puzzles solved and mysteries that linger, of lives sacrificed and saved. With expertise and eloquence, Davis introduces us to this revelatory new understanding of the human body and what it takes to be healthy.