Immunology

Immunology has emerged as a key component of the curricula of graduate and postgraduate courses in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and other interdisciplinary fields of biology, including zoology, veterinary science, and medicine. As a basic introductory textbook on one of the fastest-moving and most challenging areas of immunological science, this book contains the most recent information about immunologic mechanisms and their importance, along with various molecular techniques employed in immunology. The short and concise text helps make the structures, processes, and interactions of the immune system easily comprehensible. The book includes chapters on immunoinformatics as well as the immune system of the brain, rarely found in any of the immunology books published so far. Many diverse and interesting aspects of the advances in immunology have also been covered, including tumor immunology and immunodeficiency disorders. The easy-to-understand concepts presented in the textbook make it an ideal companion for learners preparing for competitive and other examinations. Undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students, people from the industry and academia, and research scholars will immensely benefit from it.

Anil K. Sharma is full professor and head of the Department of Biotechnology at Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), India, since 2010. From 2003 to 2010, he was a senior research scientist and a postdoctoral research fellow (molecular biology) at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, USA. He gained exposure to industrial R&D when he worked for Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, a multinational pharma major, as a research scientist from 2001 to 2003. Prof. Sharma has published 6 books and more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals with h-Index of 16 (i10 score of 23), and the cumulative impact factor of his publications is more than 130.0, with more than 1000 citations. He has been felicitated with many prestigious awards and accolades, including the Eminent Scientist Award (2017), Achiever Award of the Society for the Advancement of Human and Nature (2016), and Bharat Excellence Award (2013). He has been the editor or an editorial board member for several journals of international repute. His research interests range from the etiology of breast cancer, immunoregulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, drug resistance, and nanomedicines to the development of microbial strains for the remediation of heavy metals and pesticides.

Preface 1. Introduction to Immunology Priya Katyal Batra, Anil Kumar Sharma, and Robinka Khajuriac 2. Immunity Sneha Choubey, Vikas Beniwal, Navnit Kumar Mishra, and Anil Kumar Sharma 3. Proteins of the Immune System Anil Kumar Bhankhar and Vikas Beniwal 4. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC): Recent Trends and Relevance from Immunological Perspective J. C. Bose, Navnit Kumar Mishra, and Anil Kumar Sharma 5. Immune System of the Brain Sudheesh Pilakka Kanthikeel, Suresh Pallikkuth, Ranjini Valiathan, Anil Kumar Sharma, and Varghese K George 6. An Overview of Immunodeficiency Disorders Varghese K George, Suresh Pallikkuth, Anil Kumar Sharma, Ranjini Valiathan, and Sudheesh Pilakka Kanthikeel 7. Tumor Immunology Tapan K. Mukherjee 8. Preview of Antibody Engineering and Diversity: Trends, Scope, and Relevance J. C. Bose, Navnit Kumar Mishra, and Anil Kumar Sharma 9. Principals of Immunodetection and Immunotechniques: A Preview and Emerging Applications Shelza Thakur, Navnit Kumar Mishra, and Anil Kumar Sharma 10. Vaccines Rajasri Bhattacharyya and Dibyajyoti Banerjee 11. Immunoinformatics: A Modern Immunotherapeutic Approach to Immunology Navnit Kumar Mishra and Anil Kumar Sharma Index