Marc Daeron – författare

Malgré des progrès considérables et d’indéniables succès thérapeutiques, le cancer reste une des premières causes de mortalité. Issue de travaux de recherche fondamentale, la découverte des mécanismes qui contrôlent les réponses du système immunitaire a permis de concevoir de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques qui se sont révélées remarquablement efficaces sur des cancers jusqu’ici sans espoir. L’idée consiste à permettre aux défenses naturelles, que nous possédons tous, d’agir sur le cancer. Ce livre raconte l’histoire des recherches et des idées qui ont conduit à cette révolution médicale. De même qu’il y a eu un avant et un après la découverte des antibiotiques, on peut d’ores et déjà penser qu’il y aura un avant et un après l’immunothérapie des cancers. Éric Vivier, professeur d’immunologie à l’université Aix-Marseille et directeur scientifique de la société de biotechnologie Innate-Pharma, est membre de l’Académie de médecine et de l’Institut universitaire de France. Marc Daëron est chercheur invité à l’Institut Pasteur, chercheur émérite au centre d’immunologie de Marseille-Luminy et membre associé à l’Institut d’histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques.

Nous, les vivants, sommes des chimères. Mammifères, oiseaux, reptiles ou poissons, insectes, araignées ou mollusques, plantes ou algues, nous sommes tous constitués par une communauté d’êtres vivants qui partagent leur vie dans un même « méta-organisme ». C’est parce que nous sommes ensemble que nous sommes vivants car nous avons besoin les uns des autres pour vivre. Si eux et nous pouvons vivre ensemble, c’est parce qu’un système immunitaire le permet, qui nous adapte à eux et les adapte à nous. De cette accommodation réciproque résulte une immunité d’un nouveau type, dynamique, relationnelle, jamais acquise. L’immunité que négocie ce système n’est pas parfaite, tant s’en faut, c’est un compromis. Elle n’évite pas toujours la maladie, elle en est même parfois la cause. La maladie est le prix de l’immunité. Car ce que permet le système immunitaire est bien plus essentiel que la défense de l’organisme, c’est l’existence même du méta-organisme que nous sommes. L’immunité n’est pas une protection, c’est une condition d’existence. Marc Daëron est immunologiste, ancien directeur du département d’immunologie de l’Institut Pasteur, chercheur émérite au Centre d’immunologie de Marseille-Luminy et membre associé à l’Institut d’histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques. Il a publié aux éditions Odile Jacob, avec Éric Vivier, L’Immunothérapie des cancers.

This book takes the reader on an inspiring journey into the immune system, challenging long-held beliefs about immunity. It examines the immune system under historical, philosophical and biological perspectives. It proposes a new way of understanding immunity that goes beyond the binary opposition between self and non-self.Indeed, we, the livings, are chimeras. Mammals, birds, reptiles or fish, insects, spiders or mollusks, plants or algae, we are all made up of a community of living beings who share their lives in the same 'meta-organism'. If we live together, it is because we need each other to live, and if we can live together, it is because an immune system makes it possible, by adapting us to them and by adapting them to us. From this mutual adaptation a new kind of immunity emerges, dynamic, relational, never acquired, an endless immunity. Immunity that this system makes possible is not perfect, far from it, it is a compromise which does not always prevent disease; sometimes it even causes it. Disease is the cost of immunity. Because what the immune system enables is much more essential than the defense of the organism, it is the very existence of the meta-organism that we are. Immunity is more than a protection; it is a condition of existence.With its didactic structure and accessible style, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in understanding timmunity and the immune system. It offers different levels of complexity from which the reader can choose, depending on his or her background, without compromising the main message of the text. With a Foreword by Alfred I. Tauber

This volume provides a state-of-the-art update on Fc Receptors (FcRs). It is divided into five parts. Part I, Old and New FcRs, deals with the long-sought-after FcµR and the recently discovered FCRL family and TRIM21. Part II, FcR Signaling, presents a computational model of FcεRI signaling, novel calcium channels, and the lipid phosphatase SHIP1. Part III, FcR Biology, addresses major physiological functions of FcRs, their glycosylation, how they induce and regulate both adaptive immune responses and inflammation, especially in vivo, FcR humanized mice, and the multifaceted properties of FcRn. Part IV, FcRs and Disease, discusses FcR polymorphism, FcRs in rheumatoid arthritis and whether their FcRs make macaques good models for studying HIV infection. In Part V, FcRs and Therapeutic Antibodies, the roles of various FcRs, including FcγRIIB and FcαRI, in the immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases using monoclonal antibodies and IVIg are highlighted. All 18 chapters were written by respected experts in their fields, offering an invaluable reference source for scientists and clinicians interested in FcRs and how to better master antibodies for therapeutic purposes.

This volume provides a state-of-the-art update on Fc Receptors (FcRs). It is divided into five parts. Part I, Old and New FcRs, deals with the long-sought-after FcµR and the recently discovered FCRL family and TRIM21. Part II, FcR Signaling, presents a computational model of FcεRI signaling, novel calcium channels, and the lipid phosphatase SHIP1. Part III, FcR Biology, addresses major physiological functions of FcRs, their glycosylation, how they induce and regulate both adaptive immune responses and inflammation, especially in vivo, FcR humanized mice, and the multifaceted properties of FcRn. Part IV, FcRs and Disease, discusses FcR polymorphism, FcRs in rheumatoid arthritis and whether their FcRs make macaques good models for studying HIV infection. In Part V, FcRs and Therapeutic Antibodies, the roles of various FcRs, including FcγRIIB and FcαRI, in the immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases using monoclonal antibodies and IVIg are highlighted. All 18 chapters were written by respected experts in their fields, offering an invaluable reference source for scientists and clinicians interested in FcRs and how to better master antibodies for therapeutic purposes.

Novel molecular motifs named Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-based Inhibition Motifs (ITIMs) have recently been recognized in the intracytoplasmic domains of a still-increasing number of receptors which control cell activation and proliferation. Research on ITIM-bearing molecules has developed exponentially during the last three years, generating new concepts with important consequences in basic research and with exciting potential clinical applications. The present volume contains 15 reviews written by authors who all made significant contributions to the identification of ITIM-bearing molecules and the study of their biological properties. It constitutes the first synthesis ever published that is specifically devoted to this emerging topic.

Novel molecular motifs named Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-based Inhibition Motifs (ITIMs) have recently been recognized in the intracytoplasmic domains of a still-increasing number of receptors which control cell activation and proliferation. Research on ITIM-bearing molecules has developed exponentially during the last three years, generating new concepts with important consequences in basic research and with exciting potential clinical applications. The present volume contains 15 reviews written by authors who all made significant contributions to the identification of ITIM-bearing molecules and the study of their biological properties. It constitutes the first synthesis ever published that is specifically devoted to this emerging topic.