Considerable advances have been made in the treatment of antiviral diseases over the last decade. Several new drugs have been introduced while new clinical information has been gathered on the efficacy of existing drugs. This study aims to provide an examination of the basic science (drug formulae, structure and biochemical activity) and clinical information (usage and efficacy) on chemotherapy, as well as describing future potentials.

Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Volume 85, the newest volume in the Advances in Pharmacology series, presents a variety of chapters from the best authors in the field. Chapters in this new release include Cell death mechanisms in DILI, Mitochondria in DILI, Primary hepatocytes and their cultures for the testing of drug-induced liver injury, MetaHeps an alternate approach to identify IDILI, Autophagy and DILI, Biomarkers and DILI, Regeneration and DILI, Drug-induced liver injury in obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Mechanisms of Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury, the Evaluation and Treatment of Acetaminophen Toxicity, and much more. - Includes the authority and expertise of leading contributors in pharmacology - Presents the latest release in the Advances in Pharmacology series

Although the utility of human antibodies as medical therapeutics for cancer and immune diseases has been well-established, it is only beginning to be realized for the treatment of viral infectious diseases. Polyclonal immunoglobulins have long been used for some viral diseases, but they have limited potency and disease scope. Only a single humanized monoclonal antibody (pavilizumab) has been approved as a viral countermeasure.

This comprehensive account of the human herpesviruses provides an encyclopedic overview of their basic virology and clinical manifestations. This group of viruses includes human simplex type 1 and 2, Epstein–Barr virus, Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, HHV6A, 6B and 7, and varicella-zoster virus. The viral diseases and cancers they cause are significant and often recurrent. Their prevalence in the developed world accounts for a major burden of disease, and as a result there is a great deal of research into the pathophysiology of infection and immunobiology. Another important area covered within this volume concerns antiviral therapy and the development of vaccines. All these aspects are covered in depth, both scientifically and in terms of clinical guidelines for patient care. The text is illustrated generously throughout and is fully referenced to the latest research and developments.

The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) petitioned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 23, 1997, to prohibit the use of animals in the production of mAb. On September 18, 1997, NIH declined to prohibit the use of mice in mAb production, stating that "the ascites method of mAb production is scientifically appropriate for some research projects and cannot be replaced." On March 26, 1998, AAVS submitted a second petition, stating that "NIH failed to provide valid scientific reasons for not supporting a proposed ban." The office of the NIH director asked the National Research Council to conduct a study of methods of producing mAb. In response to that request, the Research Council appointed the Committee on Methods of Producing Monoclonal Antibodies, to act on behalf of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the Commission on Life Sciences, to conduct the study. The 11 expert members of the committee had extensive experience in biomedical research, laboratory animal medicine, animal welfare, pain research, and patient advocacy (Appendix B). The committee was asked to determine whether there was a scientific necessity for the mouse ascites method; if so, whether the method caused pain or distress; and, if so, what could be done to minimize the pain or distress. The committee was also asked to comment on available in vitro methods; to suggest what acceptable scientific rationale, if any, there was for using the mouse ascites method; and to identify regulatory requirements for the continued use of the mouse ascites method. The committee held an open data-gathering meeting during which its members summarized data bearing on those questions. A 1-day workshop (Appendix A) was attended by 34 participants, 14 of whom made formal presentations. A second meeting was held to finalize the report. The present report was written on the basis of information in the literature and information presented at the meeting and the workshop.

Immunological Concepts in Transfusion Medicine provides a thorough discussion of the immune aspects of blood component transfusion, with in-depth information on the intricacies of immune responses to blood components and the immune processes that may be initiated in response to blood exposure. Written to increase knowledge and awareness of immune challenges such as alloimmunization and transfusion-related acute lung injury, this title bridges current basic scientific discoveries and the potential effects seen in blood recipients. - Complies the knowledge and expertise of Dr. Robert Maitta, an expert in immune responses and antibody function/structure studies. - Helps clinicians in the daily practice of caring for patients in need of transfusion support, as well as physicians in training when considering utilizing blood transfusions in a limited scope or in the setting of massive transfusion. - Includes an immunology primer as an introduction to in-depth chapters covering allergic immune reactions to blood components, transfusion-related immunomodulation, fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and neonatal neuthropenia, complications of haploidentical and mismatched HSC transplantation, chimeric antibody receptor therapies, and much more. - Consolidates today's available information on this timely topic into a single, convenient resource.

The comparative approach to immunology can be traced to the era of Pasteur and Metchnikov in which observations regarding foreign recognition in invertebrates was a factor in the develop ment of the principal concepts that created the foundation of what now is the broad field of immunology. With each major experimental and conceptual breakthrough, the classical, albeit essential, question has been asked "are the immune systems of phylogenetically primitive vertebrates and invertebrates similar to that of mammals?" Somewhat surprisingly for the jawed verte brates, the general answer has been a qualified form of "yes", whereas for agnathans and invertebrate phyla it has been "no" so far. The apparent abruptness in the appearance of the immune system of vertebrates is linked to the introduction of the somatic generation of the diversity of its antigen specific receptors. Therefore the questions regarding the origin and evolution of the specific immune system revolve around this phenomenon. With respect to the origin of the system (aside from the or igin of the rearranging machinery itself, the study of which is still in its infancy) one can ask questions about the cellular and mo lecular contexts in which the mechanism was introduced.

Humans coexist with millions of harmless microorganisms, but emerging diseases, resistance to antibiotics, and the threat of bioterrorism are forcing scientists to look for new ways to confront the microbes that do pose a danger. This report identifies innovative approaches to the development of antimicrobial drugs and vaccines based on a greater understanding of how the human immune system interacts with both good and bad microbes. The report concludes that the development of a single superdrug to fight all infectious agents is unrealistic.

State-of-the-art reviews covering major aspects of antibodies and intervention against infectious diseases The connection between antibodies and infectious diseases has spawned entire related fields of study. Antibodies for Infectious Diseases presents perspectives from leading research scientists and summarizes the amazing progress in this area into a single definitive source. Providing a broad survey of the most important aspects of the field of antibodies for infectious diseases, this book presents general features pertaining to structure, function, isotype, and the role of complement in antibody function examines the role of antibodies in antimicrobial immunity with specific targets details new methods for expression of monoclonal antibodies, in plants or by transfer of antibody genes for in vivo expression in treated subjects Antibodies for Infectious Diseases is a comprehensive reference for researchers, pharmaceutical developers, and health care professionals on the status of the development of antibody-based therapies for treating infectious diseases. It is also useful as supplemental reading for upper level life sciences students. If you are looking for online access to the latest clinical microbiology content, please visit www.wiley.com/learn/clinmicronow.

The concept of using bispecific antibodies for cancer therapy by retargeting immune effector cells was developed several years ago. Initial clinical studies were rather disappointing mainly due to low efficacy, severe side effects and the immunogenicity of the bispecific antibodies. The progress in antibody engineering finally led to the generation of new classes of bispecific antibodies lacking these obstacles. In addition, new applications were established, such as pre-targeting strategies in radioimmunotherapy and dual targeting approaches in order to improve binding, selectivity and efficacy. In this book, the different ways of generating bispecific antibodies are described, with emphasis on recombinant formats. The various applications of bispecific antibodies, e.g. in cellular cancer immunotherapy, radioimmunotherapy and pretargeting strategies are covered, and emerging applications such as dual targeting strategies, which involve the simultaneous inhibition of two targets, are addressed.