The immune system is a complex network in which different cell types and soluble factors interact to efficiently eliminate various kinds of microorganisms as well as aberrant cell clones. The roots of immunologic investigations reach far into the past. In 430 BC, Thucydides reported that survivors of the plague did not present a second time with similar symptoms. The first report of a successful immu- therapy was made by Edward Jenner in 1798 who found a protective effect of cowpox vaccination against human pox. Since then, much knowledge has been accumulated; today, investigations of the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation are of central research interest. The novel insights into gene polymorphisms and gene regulation gathered from this work has improved our knowledge of individual immune reactions and risk factors in overcoming infections. Strategies to use the immune system for cancer treatment have been propelled by the discovery of divergent immunoregulatory cytokines and the introduction of new gene therapy strategies to modify immune responses. Recently, the discovery of various dendritic cells has focused attention on these cell types as central elements of the immune response and to the possibility of dendritic cell expansion, maturation, and consecutive stimulation with immuno- active tumor-specific peptides. Similarly, methods for ex vivo expansion of various stem cell-derived cell types have led to an improved therapeutic management of various benign and malignant diseases.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Primary Immunodeficiencies Caused by Defects of Cytokines and Cytokine Receptors.- Detection Assays for Cytokines and Growth Factors.- Intracellular Detection of T-Cell Cytokines.- Analysis of Cytokine Profiles in Human Skin.- Intracytoplasmic Detection of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines in Monocytes by Flow Cytometry.- Flow-Cytometric Immune Function Methodology for Human Peripheral Blood Dendritic Cells.- Evaluation of the Frequency of Virus-Specific CD8+T Cells by Cytokine Flow Cytometry.- Detection of Common Cytokine and Colony Stimulating Factor Gene Polymorphisms.- Apoptosis Induction by TRAIL.- Angiogenic Cytokines.- Detection Assays for Cytokines and Growth Factors.- Experimental Strategies for Combined Suicide and Immune Cancer Gene Therapy.- Gene Therapy with Plasmids Encoding Cytokine- or Cytokine Receptor-IgG Chimeric Proteins.- Interferon-? Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Arthritis.- Gene Gun-Based In Vivo Gene Transfer.- Purification of the Eucaryotic Heat-Shock Proteins Hsp70 and gp96.- Genetic Engineering of a Recombinant Fusion Protein Possessing an Antitumor Antibody Fragment and a TNF-? Moiety.- Genetic Engineering of Dendritic Cells by Adenovirus-Mediated TNF-? Gene Transfer.- Retroviral Transfer of T-Cell Receptor Genes into Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes.- Gene Transfer to Articular Chondrocytes with Recombinant Adenovirus.- Gene Therapy of X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency.- Gene Transfer for Generation of Tumor and Leukemia Vaccines.- Cytokine Gene Delivery into the Central Nervous System Using Intrathecally Injected Nonreplicative Viral Vectors.- Ex Vivo Cell Expansion.- In Vitro Regulation of Colony Stimulating Factor-Mediated Hematopoiesis in Healthy Individuals and Patients with Different Types of MyeloproliferativeDisease.- In Vitro Generation of Dendritic Cells from Cord Blood CD34+Hematopoietic Progenitors Cells.- Generation of TransgenicT Cells from Human CD34+Cord Blood Cells.- Ex Vivo Expansion of Umbilical Cord Blood Cells on Feeder Layers.- Ex Vivo Production of Cord Blood CD34+Derived Myeloid Precursors After Serum-Free Static Culture.- 27 Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.- 28 Large-Scale Ex Vivo Expansion of Human Megakaryocytes for Clinical Use.- Cytokine-Mediated Expansion of Human NOD-SCID-Repopulating Cells.- Maturation and Differentiation of Dendritic Cells.- Differentiation of Human Antigen-Presenting Dendritic Cells from CD34+Hematopoietic Stem Cells In Vitro.- Dendritic Cell Development from Mobilized Peripheral Blood CD34+Cells.- In Vitro Maturation of Dendritic Cells from Blood Progenitors.- Generation of Human Type 1- and Type 2-Polarized Dendritic Cells from Peripheral Blood.- Preparation of Human Dendritic Cells for Tumor Vaccination.- Generation of Leukemic Dendritic Cells from Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.