Immunologic Signatures of Rejection - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1441972188 ISBN 13: 9781441972187

Publisher: Springer, 2010

Synopsis

This book discusses the mechanisms leading to immune-mediated tissue rejection following the hypothesis that independent of the disease process the final effector mechanism is shared by most (but not all) pathologies and it is relatively simple. The book covers evidence gathered to support the thesis by studies performed in humans during rejection or in experimental models and will focus particularly (but not exclusively) on the analysis of the rejected tissue rather than the systemic circulation. Several disease processes are discussed including example of chronic inflammatory process without resolution of the pathologic process and acute one with resolution of the pathologic process (clearance of pathogen, rejection of tumor) or unwanted tissue destruction (allograft rejection, autoimmunity).

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This book collects salient observational data, derived predominantly from human studies, regarding the mechanism(s) of rejection in various pathologic conditions; the premise is that immune rejection, better defined as “immune-mediated, tissue-specific destruction” (TSD), comprises a broad range of phenomena ranging from tumor regression, to clearance of pathogen through destruction of infected cells, autoimmunity, allograft rejection by the host and host versus graft reactions. Like different hands can turn on or off a switch, distinct mechanisms can trigger TSD; however, a convergent pathway is ultimately observed when TSD occurs consisting of a dramatic switch from chronic to acute inflammation leading to the activation of a restricted number of genes that we comprise in the immunologic constant of rejection (ICR) model. Although the ICR model does not address “why” rejection occurs but rather “how”, and it may not contribute an explanation for the determinism of rejection, it provides, if correct, a simplified road map about the convergent pathways leading to TSD. This offers the opportunity to identify a common target for immune manipulation with therapeutic purposes since ICR-related pathways are restricted in expression to the tissues in which TSD occurs while are shut off in the rest of a normal organism. The book includes chapters from outstanding basic and/or observational scientists that have contributed to this area either by defining mechanisms relevant to the understanding of the inflammatory switch or by describing how this occurs in human tissues under different pathological conditions. We would like to entice our reader(s) to test with us, through, the readings, whether our hypothesis is correct; we predict that common themes will emerge particularly if attention will be paid to the general phenomenon of TSD rather than the peculiarities of individual pathologies. With the hope of having contributed with this book something novel and important and we wish our reader a pleasant journey in the wondrous land of immune-mediated, tissue-specific destruction.

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1441972188
• ISBN 13: 9781441972187
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 360
• Editor: Marincola Francesco M., Wang Ena