Hope of progress
Collection published: 12 April 2010
Last updated: 4 October 2010
'The hope of progress' is the title of a book of essays [1] by Peter Medawar, who believed in the contribution of science to human society, and won the Nobel Prize in 1960, with Frank McFarlane Burnet, for fundamental contributions to immunology. We have adopted it as the title for a series of reviews on the contributions of basic biological research to clinical problems, from the quest for new drugs and new drug targets, to new approaches to the understanding of complex disease.
1. Medawar PB: The Hope of Progress 1972, Methuen, London
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Immunogenicity and efficacy of oral vaccines in developing countries: lessons from a live cholera vaccine
Myron M Levine BMC Biology 2010, 8:129 (4 October 2010)
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| PubMed | Cited on BioMed Central
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Editor’s summary
Oral vaccines are least effective where they are most needed, in developing countries with poor sanitation and limited resources of skilled medical personnel. Myron Levine draws on his experience with cholera vaccine to suggest why, and what can be done about it.
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Assessing the human immune system through blood transcriptomics
Damien Chaussabel, Virginia Pascual, Jacques Banchereau BMC Biology 2010, 8:84 (1 July 2010)
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| PubMed | Cited on BioMed Central
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Editor’s summary
Chaussabel and colleagues review the contributions of blood transcriptomics to identifying therapeutically relevant signatures of autoimmune and infectious disease, and the challenges of developing this approach into a mainstream tool.
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Video Q&A: What is autism? - A personal view
Martin Raff BMC Biology 2010, 8:42 (12 April 2010)
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Editor’s summary
In an interview available either as video or as text, Martin Raff explains what he thinks is wrong with current views of autism, and what genomics will contribute.
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The hope of progress
Miranda Robertson BMC Biology 2010, 8:39 (12 April 2010)
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| PubMed | Cited on BioMed Central
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Editor’s summary
A new eclectic series marks the marriage of BMC Biology and Journal of Biology.
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Biology-driven cancer drug development: back to the future
Christopher J Lord, Alan Ashworth BMC Biology 2010, 8:38 (12 April 2010)
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| PubMed | Cited on BioMed Central
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Editor’s summary
Recent advances in biology, technology and the understanding of cell networks offer the hope of new advances in cancer therapy.
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Immune mechanisms of protection: can adjuvants rise to the challenge?
Amy S McKee, Megan KL MacLeod, John W Kappler, Philippa Marrack BMC Biology 2010, 8:37 (12 April 2010)
Abstract | Full text | PDF
| PubMed | Cited on BioMed Central
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Editor’s summary
Vaccines require adjuvants to stimulate the immune system. For diseases for which no effective vaccine exists, advances in the understanding of adjuvants will be crucial.
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