Commentary

Differences in multiple sclerosis patient's disease and their responses to standard drugs indicate that today's therapies need to be more individualized. It is proposed that gene expression profiling in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging be used to optimize future treatment approaches.

Historical insight: For years the function of the thymus remained a mystery. Investigations into murine leukemia led, 40 years ago next month, to the first connection of the thymus to immune function. We asked Jacques Miller to put this immunological milestone in perspective.

Where is the small academic lab left in an era of big science and systems biology? Hypothesis-driven science is not dead, and new investigative structures will mate large with small science.

Historical insight: Paul Ehrlich's dictum of horror autotoxicus and the changing orientation of the field inhibited acceptance of the reality of autoimmune disease.

Are appropriate numbers of scientists being trained for research in immunology? Available data suggest that supply is not yet outstripping opportunities. The form of those opportunities, though, should change.

What only one person accomplish in a lifetime? Pirquet, an exceedingly curious pediatrician with acute powers of observation and deduction, not only solved the riddle of serum sickness and developed the concept of allergy, but also made contributions to the study of nutrition and aging.

Translating mouse models into clinical therapies has never been easy. Immunotherapies for cancer also have to contend with an approval process designed for testing drugs. It may be necessary to consider different endpoints and objectives when evaluating the efficacy of these newer approaches.

The HIV-AIDS epidemic in Africa is now of epic proportions. This has precipitated a crisis in public health that needs to be resolved in a uniquely African way. Local and Western research efforts must be blended with strong political and social will to get the preventative message and appropriate therapies to the people whom need them most.

The question of how we acquire immunity has been investigated for a century or more. What have we learned from all of this endeavor? We asked Rolf Zinkernagel to provide, for the young investigator, food for thought about that which we still don't know—even if we think we do.

Historical Insight: The immunologic relationship between the fetus and its parents has fascinated investigators for generations. Early experiments by Ehrlich, as recounted here by Arthur Silverstein, clarified some crucial issues and paved the way for studies that are still ongoing today.

Global immunization of children is an elusive goal of public health officials world-wide. Extraordinary recent funding and organizational initiatives as described by Gustav Nossal have ignited renewed optimism that the stage is finally set to bring this acheivement within our grasp.