Therapeutic interventions in the complement system

Although the complement system is a vital part of the body's defenses against bacteria, its inappropriate activation produces the cell damage found in a wide variety of illnesses, ranging from hemolytic anemia to multiple sclerosis. In Therapeutic Interventions in the Complement System, a team of expert investigators and researchers comprehensively review complement's basic biology, its role in disease, methods to measure its activity, and strategies for its inhibition in patients. Each chapter focuses on a specific area of basic and applied complement biology, detailing the activation pathways and complement receptors. Informative animal models are thoroughly discussed, including the relative values of each model and the important interspecies differences that can distort the interpretation of preclinical studies. Also discussed are analytical issues concerning the sensitivity and specificity of the important new ELISA assays for measuring complement. Throughout, the emphasis is on the pros and cons of the use of recombinant complement inhibitors as therapeutics in specific diseases. Cutting-edge and innovative, Therapeutic Interventions in the Complement System highlights for clinical researchers and biotechnologists the powerful drug discovery and development strategies that are producing the novel complement inhibitors today emerging for the treatment of a wide variety of clinically important diseases.