The Immune System

Of special interest to all those suffering from diseases related to the immune system, as well as their families, In Defense of Self lucidly explains a system none of us could live without.

The Forum on Regenerative Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a two-day virtual public workshop to address knowledge gaps in the understanding of promising approaches to manipulate the immune system and/or the regenerative medicine product to improve outcomes of tissue repair and regeneration in patients.

Allergy is developing into one of the most prevalent diseases affecting individuals in the very early days of life. While the cause of this epidemic is still unclear, it appears that the westernized life style is playing an important role, which includes nutrition, possibly air pollution as well as hygienic conditions. While epidemiologic studies were able to narrow down these factors, basic research discovered novel mechanisms that control the organism´s tolerance against allergens.

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.

Immune System Basics, Antigens, Antibodies, Vaccines, Autoimmunity, Hypersensitivity, Cancer Immunology, & Therapeutics.