Humana Cytokines and Colony Stimulating Factors: Methods and Protocols: 215 (Methods in Molecular Biology, 215)

The immune system is a complex network in which different cell types and soluble factors interact to efficiently eliminate various kinds of microorganisms as well as aberrant cell clones. The roots of immunologic investigations reach far into the past. In 430 BC, Thucydides reported that survivors of the plague did not present a second time with similar symptoms. The first report of a successful immu- therapy was made by Edward Jenner in 1798 who found a protective effect of cowpox vaccination against human pox. Since then, much knowledge has been accumulated; today, investigations of the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation are of central research interest. The novel insights into gene polymorphisms and gene regulation gathered from this work has improved our knowledge of individual immune reactions and risk factors in overcoming infections. Strategies to use the immune system for cancer treatment have been propelled by the discovery of divergent immunoregulatory cytokines and the introduction of new gene therapy strategies to modify immune responses. Recently, the discovery of various dendritic cells has focused attention on these cell types as central elements of the immune response and to the possibility of dendritic cell expansion, maturation, and consecutive stimulation with immuno- active tumor-specific peptides. Similarly, methods for ex vivo expansion of various stem cell-derived cell types have led to an improved therapeutic management of various benign and malignant diseases. From the Back Cover Enormous effort has been spent developing many new laboratory techniques for studying immune cells and the immune system, not only to increase fundamental understanding, but also to procure therapeutic success in a clinical setting. In Cytokines and Colony Stimulating Factors: Methods and Protocols, leading laboratory experts describe for the novice investigator a host of novel technologies and molecular techniques specifically designed to study cellular immunology and promote its gene therapy applications. Presented in step-by-step detail to ensure ready reproducibility, these protocols range from flow cytometric techniques to detect cytokines and growth factors in different specimens, to methods for generating and expanding dendritic cells and hematopoietic progenitors from different origins. Each proven method has been fine-tuned for experimental successs by the investigator who developed it, and includes notes on troubleshooting and avoiding potential pitfalls. Although the protocols require little previous experience, even highly skilled researchers will augment their experimental range with many novel timesaving techniques. Cutting-edge and highly practical, Cytokines and Colony Stimulating Factors: Methods and Protocols provides researchers a carefully evaluated set of powerful tools for successful experimental research on cytokines and their role in gene therapy.