TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In August 2010, the 14th International Congress of Immunology (ICI) will be held in Kobe, Japan. Immunologists from around the world will gather to present and discuss cutting-edge research and update hot topics from basic immunology to clinical studies.
The president of the 14th ICI is the famous Japanese immunologist Tadamitsu Kishimoto, who has also written a special, free-access review article "Interleukin 6 (IL-6): from its discovery to clinical applications".
The Japanese Society for Immunology is hosting the ICI, and to celebrate the occasion they have compiled a unique series of 10 free-access reviews, including the one by Professor Kishimoto, under the theme of "Immunology in Japan", which have been published in the journal International Immunology. In these articles, prominent Japanese immunologists review the history of research in Japan and also update recent progress.
Professor Kishimoto reviews how the molecule now called IL-6 is a paradigm of the process from basic research to an effective therapy for human diseases. He outlines how he and his colleagues defined the IL-6 DNA and how the research evolved into production of tocilizumab, a drug that blocks certain functions of IL-6.
Tocilizumab is being used across the world to treat diseases including juvenile idiopathic arthritis and Crohn's disease; it is also in clinical trials for other diseases. It is hoped that the ICI and the "Immunology in Japan" series will provide a platform for many similar breakthroughs in the future.
