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Thymosins in Health and Disease: First International Conference, Volume 1112

ISBN: 978-1-573-31701-6

October 2007

Wiley-Blackwell

500 pages

Description
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.

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About the Author

Enrico Garaci, MD is Professor in the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata'. Mr. Garaci is a leading clinical and basic researcher in the fields of host-pathogen interactions and immunotherapy of cancer and hepatitis infections. Allan L. Goldstein is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine. He chaired the department from 1978 until March 2009 and was awarded Emeritus status in 2013.