Gene Therapy for Hemoglobinopathies
After nearly two decades of struggle, gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies using vectors carrying β or γ-globin gene has finally reached the clinical doorsteps. This was made possible by advances made…
HEMATOLOGY
Hemoglobin S Polymerization and Red Cell Membrane Changes
Different pathways lead from the simple point mutation in hemoglobin to the membrane changes that characterize the altered interaction of the sickle red blood cell with its environment, including endothelial…
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to Sir David Weatherall. David is the best scientist and clinician-teacher I’ve ever met. He makes the clinician want to be a scientist,…
Emerging Therapy in Hemoglobinopathies: Lessons from the Past and Optimism for the Future
Elliott P. Vichinsky, MD, Editor Hemoglobinopathies are a worldwide public health problem. Millions of people are affected, with over 400,000 annual births of new cases. Major, recent advances in understanding…
Introduction to the Role of the Immune System in Melanoma
The concept of immunosurveillance of cancer has been widely accepted for many years, but only recently have the precise mechanisms of tumor-host immune interactions been revealed. Inflammatory and immune reactions…
Combinatorial Approach to Treatment of Melanoma
There are multiple effective and well-tolerated systemic therapy treatments for the treatment of advanced melanoma, as well as new immunotherapy and targeted therapy agents in clinical trials. Traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy…
Interferon, Interleukin-2, and Other Cytokines
Cytokines are a diverse group of signaling molecules with immunomodulatory activity. This article reviews the application of cytokine therapy in melanoma with a focus on interferon-α and interleukin-2. In addition,…
Immune Checkpoint Blockade
Since the development and approval of Ipilimumab, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor licensed for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, clinicians have gained a better understanding of the mode of action,…
Vaccines and Melanoma
The potential for therapeutic efficacy of a melanoma vaccine has been evident preclinically for many years. In melanoma patients, vaccines have resulted in the induction of immune responses, although clinical…
Targeted Therapy Resistance Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications in Melanoma
Although selective mutant BRAF inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma, the magnitude and duration of their clinical benefit are significantly undermined by de novo and acquired resistance. Functional…
