ABSTRACT
The optimal methods to derive maximal benefit from a large number of promising experimental anti-endotoxin strategies are of critical importance to current clinical research efforts. The role of endotoxin in local inflammatory states in vasculitis, periodontal disease, neoplastic diseases, immunemediated disorders, and other pathological states needs to be defined more clearly. Comparative genomics will provide new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of disease and provide new targets for therapeutic intervention. The availability of the molecular “blueprints” for each invasive microbial organism will give forthcoming investigators an enormous advantage over bacterial pathogens. Transgenic animals, advanced bioengineering, combinatorial chemistry, designer monoclonal antibodies, recombinant molecules, and computer innovations will be exploited to unravel previously unsolvable mysteries in microbiology and human medicine. The pace of discovery is steadily increasing and the opportunity for significant advances in the understanding of human biology has never been brighter than it is today.
