Fundamentals of immunology

The positive reception of this textbook indicates its effectiveness. This edition has been updated to reflect significant advancements made in the five years since the first edition. While the overall structure remains unchanged, new material has been added, particularly in areas such as immunoglobulin and T cell receptor genetics, immune response regulation, hypersensitivity reactions, and cellular immunology. Immunology has become crucial for biologists, especially physicians, veterinarians, and pathologists. The recent progress and diversification in the field stem from its vital role in understanding theoretical biology and addressing biochemical, genetic, pathological, and biological issues. Key advancements have been facilitated by sophisticated techniques, including immunofluorescence, radioimmune assays, electron microscopy, isoelectric focusing, quantitative cytofluorimetry, and affinity chromatography, which enable the separation of different lymphocyte subpopulations. A groundbreaking development in the field is the creation of monoclonal antibodies through the fusion of immunologically active lymphocytes with myeloma cells. This hybridoma technology, now routine in many laboratories, is instrumental in tackling general biology challenges, particularly in studying various cell surface molecules.