This book explores the vital importance of T-cell differentiation in areas as wide-ranging as pathological analysis, drug development, and cell therapy of human T-cells. Focusing on human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, the chapters explore a variety of in vitro T-cell differentiation protocols as well as useful techniques to develop and evaluate cellular medicines. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, In Vitro Differentiation of T-Cells: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for researchers seeking to differentiate T-cells from pluripotent stem cells in order to achieve any number of significant goals.

Persistent Viral Infections Edited by Rafi Ahmed Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, USA and Irvin S. Y. Chen UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA During the past decade much of our attention has focused on diseases associated with viral persistence. Major breakthroughs in immunology, and the advent of molecular approaches to study pathogenesis have increased our understanding of the complex virus-host interactions that occur during viral persistence. Persistent Viral Infections focuses on: * The pathogenesis and immunology of chronic infections * Animal models that provide, or have the potential to provide, major insights This volume will be essential reading for virologists, immunologists, oncologists and neurologists.

T cells play a vital role mediating adaptive immunity, a specific acquired resistance to an infectious agent produced by the introduction of an antigen. There are a variety of T cell types with different functions. They are called T cells, because they are derived from the thymus gland. This volume discusses how T cells are regulated through the operation of signaling mechanisms. Topics covered include positive and negative selection, early events in T cell receptor engagement, and various T cell subsets.

This book collects articles on the biology of hematopoietic stem cells during embryonic development, reporting on fly, fish, avian and mammalian models. The text invites a comparative overview of hematopoietic stem cell generation in the different classes, emphasizing conserved trends in development. The book reviews current knowledge on human hematopoietic development and discusses recent breakthroughs of relevance to both researchers and clinicians.

Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.

This volume provides current and new advanced methods and protocols to study T cells. Chapters guide readers through T cell diversity using mass cytometry, analyzing T cells from single cell level, CRISPR/Cas9 techniques to study the T cell activation, techniques to study subsets of Tcell’s, procedures to study artificial antigen presentosomes for T cell activation, techniques to study the T cell development, two-photon microscopy, and MAIT cells. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, T-Cell Receptor Signaling: Methods and Protocols aims to provide a wide range of approaches and be an invaluable resource for present and future generations of T cell researchers.

“Infogest” (Improving Health Properties of Food by Sharing our Knowledge on the Digestive Process) is an EU COST action/network in the domain of Food and Agriculture that will last for 4 years from April 4, 2011. Infogest aims at building an open international network of institutes undertaking multidisciplinary basic research on food digestion gathering scientists from different origins (food scientists, gut physiologists, nutritionists...). The network gathers 70 partners from academia, corresponding to a total of 29 countries. The three main scientific goals are: Identify the beneficial food components released in the gut during digestion; Support the effect of beneficial food components on human health; Promote harmonization of currently used digestion models Infogest meetings highlighted the need for a publication that would provide researchers with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of respective in vitro and ex vivo assays to evaluate the effects of foods and food bioactives on health. Such assays are particularly important in situations where a large number of foods/bioactives need to be screened rapidly and in a cost effective manner in order to ultimately identify lead foods/bioactives that can be the subject of in vivo assays. The book is an asset to researchers wishing to study the health benefits of their foods and food bioactives of interest and highlights which in vitro/ex vivo assays are of greatest relevance to their goals, what sort of outputs/data can be generated and, as noted above, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various assays. It is also an important resource for undergraduate students in the ‘food and health’ arena.