The Immune Response: Basic and Clinical Principles

The Immune Response is a unique reference work covering the basic and clinical principles of immunology in a modern and comprehensive fashion. Written in an engaging conversational style, the book conveys the broad scope and fascinating appeal of immunology. The book is beautifully illustrated with superb figures as well as many full color plates. This extraordinary work will be an invaluable resource for lecturers and graduate students in immunology, as well as a vital reference for research scientists and clinicians studying related areas in the life and medical sciences.

Table of Contents:
BASIC IMMUNOLOGY Perspective on Immunity Introduction to the Immune Response Cells and Tissues of the Immune Response Innate Immunity B Cell Receptor Structure and Effector Function Antigen-Antibody Interaction Exploiting Antigen-Antibody Interaction The Immunoglobulin Genes The Humoral Response: B Cell Development and Activation The Major Histocompatibility Complex Antigen Processing and Presentation T Cell Receptor: Structure of its Proteins and Genes T Cell Development T Cell Activation T cell differentiation and effector function Immune Tolerance in the Periphery Cytokines and their Receptors Bridging Innate and Specific Immunity: NK, gd T and NKT cells Complement Mucosal and Cutaneous Immunity Comparative Immunology CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY Immunity to Pathogens Vaccines and Clinical Immunization Primary Immunodeficiencies HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Tumor Immunology Transplantation Allergy and Hypersensitivity Autoimmune Disease Glossary Appendices Index Abbreviations

About the Author :
Tak W. Mak received his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1972 from the University of Alberta after completing undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin. In 1997, he was appointed Professor at the University of Toronto. He is also Vice President of Research/Director of the The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research. He has co-authored over 350 scientific papers and is a member on numerous advisory boards of scientific journals and medical centers.Mak is best recognized for the discovery of the T-cell receptor in 1984, and is a leader in the development of knockout mice for the analysis of gene function. He has also made significant contributions in the areas of virology, immunology, genetics, molecular signaling, and cancer biology. His laboratory has ongoing efforts to understand the changes in gene function that occur when cells become cancerous, cell signaling pathways, and the role of apoptosis in development and disease. Mary Evelyn Saunders holds the position of Scientific Editor for the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Toronto. She completed her B.Sc. degree in Genetics at the University of Guelph, Ontario and received her Ph.D. in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Saunders works with Dr. Mak and members of his laboratory on the writing and editing of scientific papers for peer-reviewed journals as well as on various book projects. She takes pride and pleasure in producing concise, clear, highly readable text and making complex scientific processes readily understandable. Maya R. Chaddah graduated with a double major in Human Biology and Spanish, followed by an M.Sc. in Immunology at the University of Toronto. In 1996, Ms. Chaddah started a business focused on the writing and editing of scientific and medical publications. Her expertise has grown to include scientific and medical illustration, and she continues to produce a variety of communications for diverse audiences in the public and private sectors.

Review :
"...it comes as a gratifying surprise to find that just two people have been able to compile a comprehensive treatise, The Immune Response, on the topic...sets a high standard of excellence in the immunologic literature." - Robert S. Schwartz, M.D. for THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE "This is a valuable book for any veteran immunologist or student of immunology, with its ability to make difficult concepts easy to understand through clear explanations and illustrations its major attraction." - Sam Mehr, MBBS, BMedSci, The Children's Hospital at Westmead for Doody's: 3 Star Review "A major strength of this text is that two authors wrote it with the assistance of two contributors, so that the information is integrated across the chapters and the style is consistent throughout rather than each chapter being written by a different author or set of authors with the editors then trying to integrate the information afterward. ...an excellent new textbook that combines excellent chapters on basic immunology with very good introductory chapters on clinical disorders related to immunology. This book will be particularly useful to serious students entering the field or to those in the field who want a well-written update across the breadth of immunology" - Andrew Saxon for CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY (Jan 2006) "...transitions smoothly from chapter to chapter, without the jarring inconsistency of writing styles that sometimes plagues multiauthor texts. The original two-color illustrations, fullcolor plates, and ample sidebars and summary boxes make for a pleasing, learner-centered book. The Immune Response is a well-written, well-organized, learner-centered text that is suitable for undergraduates, medical and graduate students, and more advanced learners of immunology." - James T. Li for JAMA (March 2006) "...very erudite and quite complete and accurate in its coverage..." -Peter Ward, University of Michigan Health Systems, Department of Pathology, USA (2004) "...very timely, reads very well, and should be of great interest to those wanting to get a start in understanding Immunology..." - Juan-Carlos Zuniga-Pflucker, Sunnybrook & Women's College Heath Sciences Centre, USA (2004) "The illustrations are terrific...One of the things I especially like is the use of the "Introducing..." and "More about..." sections. These give students a taste of what is to come without overwhelming them with details." - Douglas Green, La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, USA (2004) "...straight forward style...crystal clear definitions of complex immunological concepts...Uncomplicated style effortless for the reader to move from one section to the next, comfortable, unforced learning experience..." -Gillian Wu, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, York University, Canada "A very readable and enjoyable text... Historical background is a nice idea that is essentially overlooked in many competing texts...contemporary and would be easy to recommend..." -Richard M. Locksley, Department of Medicine, University of California in San Francisco, HHMI, San Francisco, CA, USA "I particularly like the clear and conversational style of the prose...chapters are a delight to read...I {also} like the format of presentation with boxes for the specialists and plenty of illustration... This will be an important contribution to the field of Immunology." -Noel R. Rose, Director, Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA "This book is an important contribution, providing the reader with a clear, complete, and concise overview of the immune system in both health and disease...This is a valuable book for any veteran immunologies or student of immunology, with its ability to make difficult concepts easy to understand through clear explanations and illustrations its major attraction." -Sam Mehr, MBBS, BMedSci (The Children's Hospital at Westmead)