The Benefits And Side Effects Of Interferon Alpha
PATH3343: Immunology and Immunopathology
TOPIC: The benefits and side effects of interferon-α therapy. Include molecular mechanisms.
It is well known throughout the medical professions that interferon-alpha (IFN-α) has antiviral and anti-tumour properties, the very name interferon' springing from this fact1. Interferon proteins were first described in 1957 by Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann they discovered that supernatants from virus-infected cell cultures contained a substance that could react with other cells, rendering them resistant to infection by the same or unrelated viruses.2 The interferon family comprises of molecules capable of interfering' with viral infection, and form part of the cytokine superfamily. Cytokines carry signals locally from one cell to another, playing an important role in the body's natural defensive system. In this respect, IFN's are considered to be the first line of defence against viral invasion.3
Although IFN's were first......
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