This introductory text has been designed primarily for use in immunology courses for medical, dental, and pharmacy students, other clinical students and undergraduates. It sythesizes the established facts of immunology into a comprehensible and up-to-date account of how the immune system works. Throughout the book the emphasis is upon the human system and how its successes and failures affect the lives of each and every one of us. A concerted effort has been made to break down the barriers which often divide basic and clinical immunology and to use examples drawn from everyday human experience for illustrating immunological principles. Readers need no prior knowledge of immunology or microbiology but some familiarity with basic cell biology and biochemistry would be useful.
Dr. Parham was born in London and read natural sciences at Cambridge University. He began study of the genetic basis of HLA polymorphism in 1973 and has continued this line of research ever since. Dr. Parham is currently Professor of structural biology and microbiology and immunology at Stanfor University.Linda Barber's doctoral and post-doctoral studies examined the structure and function of MHC classI and classII molecules with emphasis on the impact of polymorphism on peptides bound and presented for immune surveillance. Dr. Barber's current interests focus on utilizing our understanding of the role of MHC molecules in T cell and NK cell function to develop improved prophylatic and therapeutic strategies for manipulating immune responses.
