In the last decade, a new armamentarium of immune-based therapies have been developed and tested in patients with multiple sclerosis. Some of these therapies are showing a high level of efficacy, with an acceptable adverse effect profile. Because present therapies have significant limitations in slowing disease progression, require injections, are sometimes associated with significant side effe...

Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and medical support, septic shock remains a leading cause of death. Emerging adjunctive therapy for septic shock can be divided into those directed against bacterial components, those directed against host-derived inflammatory-mediators and those designed to limit tissue damage. All trials of new adjunctive therapies for sepsis and septic shock conducte...

In the 19th century, it was discovered that immune sera were useful in treating infectious diseases. Serum therapy was largely abandoned in the 1940s because of the toxicity associated with the administration of heterologous sera and the introduction of effective antimicrobial chemotherapy. Recent advances in the technology of monoclonal antibody production provide the means to generate human a...

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the United States, and despite screening and early treatment, more than 27,000 men are predicted to die of the disease this year, almost all of whom will die of castrate-resistant, metastatic cancers that have progressed despite androgen deprivation therapy, also known as hormonal therapy. In recent years, an increased understanding of molecul...

With about 22,000 new cases estimated in 2012 in the US and 15,500 related deaths, ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous and aggressive disease. Even though most of patients are sensitive to chemotherapy treatment following surgery, recurring disease is almost always lethal, and only about 30% of the women affected will be cured. Thanks to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlyi...

In the majority of cases acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are caused by activation and aggregation of platelets and subsequent thrombus formation leading to a decrease in coronary artery blood flow. Recent focus on the treatment of ACS has centered on reducing the response of platelets to vascular injury as well as inhibiting fibrin deposition. Novel therapies include more effective P2Y12 recepto...

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that affects 1%-2% of the European and North American population. While topical agents such as corticosteroids and vitamin D derivatives are prescribed for mild disease, they are generally unable to adequately control patients with more severe disease. Over the past decade, research into the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis, including investigations into t...

thousands of years ago with the use of readily available natural resources. It is only recently, however, that the cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation have been appreciated sufficiently to design anti-inflammatory strategies with limited side effects. For example, salicylates and glucocorticoids, two widely used anti-inflammatory drug classes, are now known to inhibit the activati...

Stroke is a major public health problem in the United States and the development of novel therapeutic strategies is an important research priority. Advances in this field are proceeding on several fronts, including the use of next-generation plasminogen activators and glycoprotein IIb/ IIIa inhibitors, refined patient selection with advanced magnetic resonance imaging sequences, endovascular ap...

A high level of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is recognized as an independent and additional cardiovascular risk factor contributing to the risk of early onset and progressive course of cardiovascular disease (CVD). All lipid lowering medications in use mainly lower low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) with no or limited effect on levels of Lp(a). Niacin, the only component lowering Lp(a), is f...