Cytokines and growth factors have vast therapeutic potentials for a wide range of diseases. Many have been cloned and produced, using recombinant DNA technology, by the biopharmaceutical industry. Of these, several have proved to be extremely successful biological medicines with increasing numbers undergoing clinical trials. One aspect of the successful development of these proteins as therapeutics is assuring quality control. This can mainly be achieved through thorough characterization of the product, both biologically and physico-chemically. In this book, leading scientists from industry, research and regulatory agencies present papers on the various methods currently available for analyzing cytokines and growth factors, including novel, developing technology. A particular focus on bioassays provides a unique and comprehensive coverage of their relevance, design, execution and analysis during product development and manufacture. This volume should be read by all those working on protein therapeutics, as many of the principles described generally apply to any biological product. Scientists working in industry and regulatory authorities will find it a useful reference for drug development and licensing.

Principles of Immunopharmacology provides a unique source of essential knowledge on the immune response, its diagnosis and its modification by drugs and chemicals. The 4th edition of this internationally recognized textbook has been revised to include recent developments, but continues the established format, dealing with four related fields in a single volume, thus obviating the need to refer to several different textbooks. The first section of the book, providing a basic introduction to immunology and its relevance for human disease, has been updated to accommodate new immunological concepts, particularly the role of epigenetics and the latest understanding of cancer immunology. The second section on immunodiagnostics offers a topical description of widely used molecular techniques and a new chapter on imaging techniques. This is followed by a systematic coverage of drugs affecting the immune system, including natural products. This third section contains 15 updated chapters, covering classical immunopharmacological topics such as anti-asthmatic, anti-rheumatic and immunosuppressive drugs, but also deals with antibiotics, plant-derived and dietary agents, with new chapters on monoclonal antibodies, immunotherapy in sepsis and infection, drugs for soft-tissue autoimmunity and cell therapy. The book concludes with a chapter on immunotoxicology and drug safety tests. Aids to the reader include a two-column format, glossaries of technical terms and appendix reference tables. The emphasis on illustrations is maintained from the first three editions. The book is a valuable single reference for undergraduate and graduate medical and biomedical students, postgraduate chemistry and pharmacy students, researchers in chemistry, biochemistry and the pharmaceutical industry and researchers lacking basic immunological knowledge, who want to understand the actions of drugs on the immune system.

Cytokines are pleiotropic regulatory proteins involved in essentially all biological processes and associated with a wide variety of diseases, including inflammatory disorders as well as many types of cancer and leukemia. Knowledge about the quantitative and qualitative nature of cytokine production is critical in the understanding of normal and pathological processes. The cytokine detection in biological and clinical samples faces many challenges including their low abundance, the need to distinguish between active and latent cytokine forms, and the need to measure multiple cytokines in a single assay. This volume will provide a comprehensive collection of classic and cutting-edge methodologies that are currently used to analyze and quantify cytokines and their biological activities in complex biological and clinical samples. The chapters are divided into four main categories. The first group focuses on the immunodetection of released cytokines in tissue culture supernatants, plasma, serum and whole blood samples by immunoassays. These immunoassays measure the total concentrations of released cytokines regardless of their biological activity and include ELISA, flow cytometry, ELISPOT and the antibody-based proximity ligation. The second group will focus on the analysis of biologically active cytokines by bioassays using neutralizing antibodies, chemotaxis assay, cytokine-induced cell degranulation assay, cell proliferation and differentiation, cytokine-induced cytokine production and the radioreceptor cytokine assay. The third group focuses on the analysis of intracellular cytokines by flow cytometry, western blotting and fluorescence and confocal microscopy. In addition, this category includes protocols for quantitative analysis of cytokine gene expression by real time RT-PCR and analysis of the cytokine promoter occupancy by chromatin immunoprecipitation. The fourth group focuses on the recently developed multiplex arrays that can measure multiple cytokines in the same sample at the same time. This group includes quantification of multiple cytokines using cytometric bead arrays, ELISPOT assays, proteomics cytokine evaluation, multiplexed proximity ligation assays for high-throughput cytokine analysis and finally, cytokine gene expression analysis by gene arrays. The protocols will be written by experienced basic and clinical researchers with hands-on knowledge of the described protocols. By covering a broad variety of methods used in cytokine detection and analysis, this book will be of interest not only to biochemists, molecular biologists and immunologists but also to physician-scientists working in the field of cytokine research.

The new edition of this canonical text on male reproductive medicine will cement the book's market-leading position. Practitioners across many specialties - including urologists, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, medical endocrinologists and many in internal medicine and family practice – will see men with suboptimal fertility and reproductive problems. The book provides an excellent source of timely, well-considered information for those training in this young and rapidly evolving field. While several recent books provide targeted 'cookbooks' for those in a male reproductive laboratory, or quick reference for practising generalists, the modern, comprehensive reference providing both a background for male reproductive medicine as well as clinical practice information based on that foundation has been lacking until now. The book has been extensively revised with a particular focus on modern molecular medicine. Appropriate therapeutic interventions are highlighted throughout.

Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming Proteins and Genes into Drugs, Second Edition addresses the pivotal issues relating to translational science, including preclinical and clinical drug development, regulatory science, pharmaco-economics and cost-effectiveness considerations. The new edition also provides an update on new proteins and genetic medicines, the translational and integrated sciences that continue to fuel the innovations in medicine, as well as the new areas of therapeutic development including cancer vaccines, stem cell therapeutics, and cell-based therapies.

Cell culture techniques allow a variety of molecular and cell biological questions to be addressed, offering physiological conditions whilst avoiding the use of laboratory animals. In addition to basic techniques, a wide range of specialised practical protocols covering the following areas are included: cell proliferation and death, in-vitro models for cell differentiation, in-vitro models for toxicology and pharmacology, industrial application of animal cell culture, genetic manipulation and analysis of human and animal cells in culture.

Bioactive natural products are proving to be a rich source of novel therapeutics to both protect against and combat diseases, as well as serve as lead compounds in crop protection. Following the successful format of the first edition, this volume brings together collective research from many new contributors and emphasizes the rationale behind the

Provides a core knowledgebase for those with minimal exposure to hematologic molecular biology, fully revised and updated Molecular Hematology brings together the most up-to-date and reliable information on the molecular basis of major hematologic diseases. Edited and authored by leading experts in the field, this volume demonstrates the clinical relevance of molecular biology in the diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders. Concise, accessible chapters address key topics in modern hematology, such as lymphoma genetics, molecular coagulation, thrombophilia, pharmacogenomics, platelet disorders, hemophilia, anemia, and multiple myeloma. Chapters introduce and summarize specific hematologic diseases, explore the pathogenesis of the disorder, highlight new and emerging molecular strategies, and more. Now in its fifth edition, Molecular Hematology is fully revised to incorporate contemporary hematology research and practice. Entirely new chapters cover topics such as CAR-T cell technology, COVID, cancer cell biology, gene therapy and gene editing in clinical practice, as well as the impact of molecular research on the diagnosis and treatment of various malignant hematologic diseases. This edition includes updated suggested readings and a wealth of new full-color charts, graphs, and illustrations throughout. Covers the molecular biology of different blood diseases, their pathogeneses, and current molecular research and therapies Illustrates the impact of molecular research on hematologic investigations and therapeutics Discusses how progress in basic science and therapeutics has improved the diagnosis and care of patients with various hematologic disorders Surveys recent developments in cancer-cell biology, with an emphasis on leukemia and lymphoma Includes access to a companion Digital Edition providing search across the book, downloadable illustrations, and notation tools Molecular Hematology is a must-have resource for established and trainee clinicians, clinical scientists and researchers, medical students, and upper-level undergraduates in the fields of hematology, oncology, and molecular biology.

In this first book dedicated entirely to the ELISPOT, a critical enzyme-linked immunospot assay used widely in biomedical research, recognized experts with first-hand experience detail how to design, perform, and analyze these assays. The readily reproducible techniques they provide cover a wide variety of topics, including the use of membrane-backed plates, the standardization and validation procedures, the removal of cells from ELISPOT plates, cell separation techniques, and the quantification of ELISPOT data. There are also numerous ELISPOT applications involving animal models, human cells, measles, multiple sclerosis, immune responses, multicytokine detection systems, and immunocytochemistry. Highlights include dual-color and multiplex ELISPOT assays, use of the ELISPOT assay on feline lymphocytes, standardization of the ELISPOT procedure, and combining the ELISPOT assay with immunohistochemistry.

Providing an overview of recent developments in the field of signal transduction, this volume emphasizes direct clinical significance. As such, topics like nuclear receptors, apoptosis, growth factors, cell cycles and cancer are examined.