Immunology
- Robert A. Good, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
To attempt to describe major advances in immunology in 1980 in a few words is to admit bias and forge ahead. Immunology is a surging fundamental discipline closely interactive with the clinic, and it is to be expected that fundamental advances will be quickly translated into improved understanding and treatment of disease.
Perhaps the most important advance during 1980 has been the great strides toward understanding the "miracle" of immunology. This is the miracle that has been described by Sir Peter Medawar in the following terms: "It is important to remember that a rabbit yet unborn will be able to make antibody to an antigen not yet synthesized."
Second, we have seen the harnessing of the new hybridoma technology for producing monoclonal antibodies to permit definition of human T-cell subpopulations. This same technology has permitted beginning analyses of cell-cell interactions and cellular differentiation in molecular terms, improved understanding of a
