ABSTRACT
Immune system modulators are agents, principally drugs, which adjust the activity of a patient’s immune response, either up or down, until a desired level of immunity is reached. The principal targets of immune modulation are the specific components of the immune response, T and B lymphocyte clones, which can hopefully be selectively “fine-tuned” in their function to promote the better health of the patient. Three general clinical scenarios dominate the immunomodulation landscape:
1. Immunosuppressive therapies, utilized when specific T and B lymphocytes of the patient’s immune system have become activated against the patient’s own body organs, such as in autoimmune diseases (see Chapters 18 and 19) or in organ transplantation (see Chapter 25).
