Allan L. Goldstein - Böcker

This volume is a transcription of Grand Rounds lectures 1998, conducted by the leading researchers and clinicians in biomedicine. This book contains chapters from representatives of all the major fields of current medical research who give their best sense of how their work and the work of their colleagues will affect both current and future treatment of disease as we enter the 21st century.

The VIIIth Annual International Spring Symposium on Health Sciences held at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., attracted over three hun­ dred fifty scientists from twenty-five countries. The leading scientific experts in the field reported on recent biomedical advances in aging. They provided an up-to-date account of the molecular, genetic, nutritional, and immunological mechanisms associated with the aging process and approaches to intervention and treatment of the major disorders associated with the aging process, including Alzheimer's disease. A unique aspect of this meeting was a concurrent one-day hearing of the U.S. Senate Sub-Committee on Aging, organized by the Alliance for Aging Research. The theme for the hearing was "Advances in Aging Research." Seven scientists attending our aging sym­ posium were asked to testify. They were Drs. Carl Cotman (University of California-Irvine), Trudy Bush (Johns Hopkins University), Takashi Makinodan (University of California-Los Angeles), William Ershler (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Gino Doria (ENEA, Rome), Mr. Dan Perry (Director of the Alliance for Aging Research), and myself.

The 2nd International Symposium on Combination Therapies brought together several hundred of the leading researchers, scientists and clinicians in this area to discuss new and emerging uses for biological response modifiers (BRM's) in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The meeting was held during May 1-3, 1992 in Acireale, Sicily (Italy). It was hosted by Professor G. Nicoletti CU. of Catania) and organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Immunology and Aging (Washington, D. C. ) in collaboration with the University of Rome "Tor Vergata," the University of Catania and The George Washington University Medical Center. The synergy exhibited between BRM's and conventional therapies including bone marrow and other lymphoid cell transplants is a rapidly expanding area with significant promise for the treatment of human diseases. Advances in this area of biomedicine are leading to the rapid development of new therapeutic approaches that are being applied clinically as both primary and adjuvant therapy to enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments. The 2nd International Symposium on Combination Therapy provided a setting for the exchange of new scientific information regarding the emerging uses for BRM's alone or in combination with conventional therapies. The 1st International Symposium on Combination Therapies was held in 1991 in Washington, D. C.

Over the past decade many of the key lymphokines, hormones and growth factors that help regulate the immune system have been defined. These molecules, termed biological response modifiers (BRMs) , have been sequenced, synthesized and produced in large enough quantities to test in animals and humans resulting in the development of new approaches to the treatment of human disease, in particular, cancers and infectious diseases. Advances in this area have also led to rethinking therapies against a range of autoimmune disorders and other diseases associated with immune and endocrine imbalances. BRMs currently are being applied clinically as both primary and adjunctive therapy to enhance the effectiveness of traditional treatments by maximizing their activities and to protect critical tissues against intolerable chemotherapeutic and radiation damage. Present constraints against the use of BRMs revolve around the nature of these substances in vivo, where many of their actions and the majority of their interactions and synergies remain to be elucidated. For example, as these molecules are thought to exert their effects locally, the systemic administration of lymphokines, cytokines and growth factors at doses adequate to produce a wanted anti-tumor effect in many instances is intolerably toxic. Efforts to overcome this formidable problem have led scientists to begin to explore the transfer of genes known to encode for these molecules into cells which otherwise inadequately elicit or produce anti-tumor or anti-infective responses.

Traditional methods of medical education and training are changing rapidly. This volume integrates the printed text--as provided by leading experts in science and medicine--with multimedia applications using desktop conferencing and the Internet in the delivery of instruction. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The George Washington University Medical Center, with the support of an unrestricted educational grant from the Healthcare Education Department of Glaxo Welcome, Inc. , has created a distance-learning lecture series on the Internet for continuing medical education. In this lecture series, leading scientists and physicians discussed the most current as well as future projected treatments of prominent afflictions of mankind. These chosen speakers, who are at the forefront of research and treatment in the field of biomedicine, build a structural framework for the audience in their field of expertise, and from there looked into their crystal ball and discussed their view of the future. The lectures, approximately one hour in length, were broadcast live from The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D. C. as part of the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds. These lectures will be available on the Internet until 2001. In partnership with Medical Consumer Media, the lectures were simultaneously broadcast live around the world via the Internet with real-time audio streaming and digitized 35mm slide presentation. The lecture format was designed to foster questions which went beyond basic science and current treatments.

This volume is the result of a meeting bringing together many of the leading researchers in the US, Europe, and Asia, to report on advances that have been made in the chemistry, biology, and clinical application of thymosins in health and disease. The thymosins are a family of biologically active peptides with hormone-like properties that were first isolated in 1966. Since that time, significant progress has been made in our understanding of the role of these molecules in immunity and the nature of the physiological processes they regulate. Several of these small peptides, such as thymosin alpha 1 and thymosin beta 4, have been synthesized and shown to have important clinical applications. The physiological processes that these peptides affect include stimulation or suppression of immune responses, regulation of actin dynamics and cell motility, neuroplasticity, repair and remodeling of vessels of the heart and other injured tissues, angiogenesis, and stem cell differentiation.Several of these molecules have also been shown to be useful as molecular markers and as potential diagnostics in areas ranging from cancer and infectious diseases to autoimmune diseases and aging. In addition to reports on advances in basic research, the meeting will also highlight recent translational studies and detail how several of these molecules may play a role in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infectious diseases such as hepatitis.NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas.ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member

This volumes features contributions on the latest advances in the chemistry, biology and clinical applications of the thymosins from leading scientists and clinicians working in the field. The use of chemically defined and synthesized molecules, rather than crude or partially purified extracts has enabled scientists working in this field to acquire definitive information on the molecular biology, immunology and potential clinical applications of this important class of BRMs.  Paper in this volume cover a wide range of topics including: advances  in the structure, design, immunology and molecular biology of thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1), prothymosin alpha (ProTα) and thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4). an exploration of role of the thymosins in cardioprotection, neuroplasticity, stem cells, wound healing, inflammation and angiogenesisclinical applications of Tα1 and other BRMsa look at the current status of translational trials with Tβ4 in areas of wound repair, cardiovascular disease, epidermolysis bullosa and eye injuries.The availability of synthetic thymosins enables both researchers and clinicians to acquire definitive information on the immunology, pharmacology and emerging clinical applications of Tα1 and Tβ4.  Clinicians will be particularly interested in the most recent reports of clinical responses and diagnostic applications. This volume will also be of keen interest to biochemists, pharmacologists, immunologists and other basic scientists interested in acquiring information on the state of the art of the latest purification procedures, the chemical characterization, pharmacokinetics, immunopharmacology, and molecular biology of the thymosins alone or in combination with other BRMs and standard therapies.NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas.ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

The first of two, this volume comprises a collection of papers devoted to the understanding of thymosins—proteins originally isolated from the thymus and possess a unique array of biological properties. Thymosins in Health and Disease I brings together short reviews organized to explore the basic characteristics of these peptides and their hormone-like properties, recent preliminary evidence for their medicinal utility, and a focus on the alpha and beta thymosin families. In particular, Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) holds considerable promise for the treatment of many conditions and diseases. Of note, contributions to this volume include information on the application of thymosins to stem cell differentiation, neurological and cardiovascular regeneration, as well as accounts of thymosins in relation to basic regulatory and cancer cell functions. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For more information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit: http://ordering.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/subs.asp?ref=1749-6632&doi=10.111/(ISSN)1749-6632ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information on becoming a member.