Education and debate

Recent Advances: Clinical immunology

BMJ 1996; 312 doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7044.1465 (Published 8 June 1996)
Cite this as: BMJ 1996;312:1465

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

  1. Tom Eirik Mollnes, professor (tomeirik{at}fagmed.uit.no)a,
  2. Morten Harboe, professorb
  1. a Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Nordland Central Hospital, University of Tromso, N-8017 Bodo, Norway
  2. b Institute of Immunology and Rheumatology, Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  1. Correspondence to: Dr Mollnes.

    Abstract

    Summary points

    • The genetic basis for many types of hereditary immunodeficiency has now been found, allowing more precise diagnosis and giving hope for future treatments

    • Manipulation of proteins that regulate complement activation has exciting therapeutic implications, such as ameliorating the hyperacute rejection of xenografts

    • Deficiencies in complement regulators have been implicated in several types of kidney disease, and soluble complement receptor 1 may be useful in future treatments

    • Intravenous immunoglobulin is now used to treat several systemic inflammatory conditions, and its effects include modulating proinflammatory cytokines and complement activation

    • Use of new technologies is allowing development of more effective vaccines and avoidance of adverse effects such as found with whole cell pertussis vaccine

      Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment

      Subscribe

      Article access

      Article access for 1 day

      Purchase this article for £20 $30 €32*

      The PDF version can be downloaded as your personal record

      * Prices do not include VAT

      Rapid responses

      THIS WEEK'S POLL

      BMJ most popular