The proper physiological functioning of most eukaryotic cells requires their assembly into multi-cellular tissues that form organized organ systems. Cells of the immune system develop in bone marrow and lymphoid organs, but as the cells mature they leave these organs and circulate as single cells. Antigen receptors (TCRs) of T cells search for membrane MHC proteins that are bound to peptides derived from infectious pathogens or cellular transformations. The detection of such speci?c peptid...

Glioblastoma is the most malignant brain tumor that still remains incurable. It is such a deadly disease that patients do not survive more than a few months after diagnosis. Our understanding of the histopathology and molecular mechanisms of formation of glioblastoma is rapidly advancing so as to provide us clues for devising rational therapeutic strategies for treatment of this malignancy. It is important that we continue to improve our knowledge about the pathogenesis of this devastating...

In this first authoritative overview on modern cancer chemotherapy 121 international specialists have contributed their experience and recent data for what is likely to become the gold standard in the field.The authors summarize knowledge gained over the past decade, from basic concepts to successful applications in the clinic, covering active and passive targeting strategies as well as tissue-specific approaches. All current and future targeted delivery systems are discussed, from...

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and disturbances in glutamate transport contribute to a number of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Appropriate levels of cholesterol are very important for the proper functioning of glutamate transport while unbalanced levels of cholesterol have been implicated in the pathogenesis of disorders such as stroke, ischemia, traumatic brain injury, and neurotoxicity. In the proposed book, the author presents data from t...

The ultimate source of information on the design of new anticancer agents, emphasizing small molecules, this newest work covers recent notable successes resulting from the human genome and cancer genomics projects. These advances have provided information on targets involved in specific cancers that are leading to effective medicines for at least some of the common solid tumors. Unique sections explain the basic underlying principles of cancer drug development and provide a practical intro...

This volume describes our current understanding of the biological role of visual and non-visual arrestins in different cells and tissues, focusing on the mechanisms of arrestin-mediated regulation of GPCRs and non-receptor signaling proteins in health and disease. The book covers wide range of arrestin functions, emphasizing therapeutic potential of targeting arrestin interactions with individual partners.

In this volume, the editors have collected the knowledgeable insights of a number of leaders in this field - researchers who have achieved success in addressing the difficult problem of inhibiting protein-protein interactions. These researchers describe their unique approaches, and share experiences, results, thoughts, and opinions. The content of the articles is rich, and in terms of scope ranges from generalized approaches to specific case studies. There are various focal points, includi...

The cytoskeleton is comprised of a variety of specialized proteins, and is a dynamic structure that is involved in the majority of key cellular events. There is increasing interest in the role of the cytoskeleton in human disease. This volume brings together human disease states where cytoskeletal disruptions are driving disease. Our emerging understanding of the molecular and cellular events that drive cytoskeletal mediated diseases including cancer, heart disease, myopathies and skin dis...

Proteolysis is an irreversible posttranslational modification affecting each and every protein from its biosynthesis to its degradation. Limited proteolysis regulates targeting and activity throughout the lifetime of proteins. Balancing proteolysis is therefore crucial for physiological homeostasis. Control mechanisms include proteolytic maturation of zymogens resulting in active proteases and the shut down of proteolysis by counteracting endogenous protease inhibitors. Beyond the protein ...

This is the second volume of the Patent eBook Series titled Topics in Anti-Cancer Research. The eBook includes updated chapters on topics relevant to contemporary cancer research published in the journal, Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery. This volume covers scientific and patented novel chemotherapeutic agents and drugs for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and Ras/ Raf /MEK/ERK pathway, P1K, AKT and mTORC1/2 inhibitors, ATPase inhibitors for cancer therapy, and s...

GW bodies are novel cytoplasmic foci that were discovered and named by Dr. Chan’s group in 2002. These bodies are now known to be active cytoplasmic foci involved with the new gene regulation process mediated by microRNA that leads to translational repression and mRNA degradation. The detailed biological functions of these cytoplasmic structures are still being uncovered and the idea for this book is to provide the history of the discovery and the major work from different laboratories tha...

The topics chosen for this volume were selected because they are some of the current development or technological issues facing drug development project teams. They regard the practical considerations for assessment of selected special development populations. For example, they include characterization of drug disposition in pregnant subjects, for measuring arrhythmic potential, for analysis tumor growth modeling, and for disease progression modeling. Practical considerations for metabolit...