In Defense of Self: How the Immune System Really Works

by William R. Clark

Overview

In In Defense of Self, William Clark invites you on a whirlwind tour of your immune system. Along the way, he introduces some of most important medical advances and challenges of the past hundred years, from the development of vaccines and the treatment of allergies, autoimmunity and cancer, to prolonging organ transplants and combating AIDS. William Clark not only explains how a vital part of our bodies works to "serve and protect," he also provides background for the exciting research themes of today that will produce the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199725465
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/25/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Dr. William Clark is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an internationally recognized authority on the killer T lymphocytes involved in organ transplant rejection and in viral immunity. He has written extensively on topics in science and medicine for the general public.

Table of Contents

Part I: How The Immune System WorksChapter 1. What Is An Immune System? Chapter 2. AntibodiesChapter 3. How Do Antibodies Work? Chapter 4. T Cells: The Second Arm of Adaptive ImmunityPart II: The Immune System in Health and DiseaseChapter 5. The Immune Response to Infectious Disease: All Out War!Chapter 6. When the Immune System is the Problem, and Not the SolutionChapter 7. Vaccines: How They Work, Why Sometimes They Don't, And What We Can Do About ItChapter 8. When the Walls Come Tumbling Down: AIDSChapter 9. When the Walls Come Tumbling Down: Primary Immune DeficienciesChapter10. When the Immune System is the Problem, and Not the SolutionSection II: Hypersensitivity and AllergyChapter 11. The Immune System and CancerChapter 12. AutoimmunityChapter 13. Organ TransplantationChapter 14. First Defense: The Immune System and Bioterrorism