Understanding Immunology

'Brilliant combination of illustrations, content and question/answer sections. Good balance between theoretical immunology and case studies make it very useful for both lecturers and students.' - Professor Olivier Sparagano, Northumbria University

Understanding Immunology is a well-established introduction to this complex subject for readers with no previous exposure. It is aimed primarily at undergraduates in biological sciences, biomedical sciences and medicine. The selection and order of topic coverage is designed to instruct effectively, and a variety of boxed examples add depth and historical context for those readers wanting to go beyond the essentials.

The first part of the book (Chapters 1 to 11) takes students through the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and describes the molecules, cells and tissues of the immune system that provide protection against a wide variety of pathogens. It also describes how mankind has utilised the immune system, from the development of vaccines to the production of reagents for use in the clinic and laboratory. The final four chapters describe how the immune system operates in disease situations such as allergy, autoimmunity and transplantation.

This third edition is revised to cover the latest experimental and clinical changes in the subject, particularly those in the development of lymphocytes; the different types of CD4 helper T cells; the use of antibodies, including monoclonal antibodies, as experimental and clinical tools; and immunological tolerance.

Dr. Peter Wood is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. He has over 20 years of teaching experience, both in the UK and in the USA, and is widely published in the literature. His current research interest is the role of cytokines in the development of diabetes.