Textbook of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology

The dramatic advances made in molecular science and genetics during the last two decades have started to transform our understanding of the scientific basis of human disease. We are now at the threshold of understanding, at the level of an individual protein or gene, what has gone wrong and how we might put it right. This is as true in respiratory disease as in other specialities. The genetic basis for cystic fibrosis is now clear and gene replacement therapy is a real possibility; analysis of the fine structure of a1-antitrypsin has revealed how mutations cause disease; and the secrets of how respiratory syncytial virus causes bronchiolitis in children are being unlocked. However, as the literature expands at an exponential rate, clinicians who may have last studied immunology or genetics at medical school, or scientists new to respiratory research, can find it increasingly difficult to keep up-to-date. This book is aimed primarily at those with a special interest in respiratory disease, either as physicians or scientists, who want a detailed but clear explanation of our current understanding of the pathogenesis of common respiratory disease. While the book makes no apologies for exploring in detail the scientific complexities that underpin respiratory disease, it will have failed if it is not also an enjoyable and stimulating read. Although much remains to be known, this book provides both a reference and a benchmark against which future progress can be measured.