Author Description

As soluble mediators of immunity, inflammation, and cell growth, cytokines are being studied in many areas of biological and medical research. They are also being used with increasing success for the treatment of malignant disease, chronic virus and parasitic infections, and some rare congenital immune deficiencies. The recent identification of naturally occurring cytokine inhibitors, binding either to the cytokine or its receptor, has opened up another realm of therapeutic potential. The collaborative effort of several international authorities, this book provides a comprehensive set of techniques that are applicable to cytokine research. Several biologic models are presented and the ways of assaying cytokine activity in these systems are outlined. In addition, the book provides a spectrum of techniques for assaying cytokine production at the level of messenger RNA and protein, whether the sample be single cells, tissue sections, tissue cultures, culture supernatants, or clinical specimens. Strategies for defining, purifying, and cloning new cytokine genes are also included. Cytokines: A Practical Approach is a guide to some of the most important techniques in cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, and molecular biology in use today, and is not exclusively for those interested in cytokines, but also for scientists from many different disciplines in medical research and the biological sciences. In all, over 130 different techniques are described in detail in this book, ranging from the basic to the highly sophisticated.