Expanding from the classic use of immunosuppressants in transplantation and rejection, this current overview highlights their new roles in clinical medicine. Immunosuppressants are at the forefront of new treatment modalities. Individual chapters focus on their use not only in prevention or treatment of transplant rejection, but also on their use in immune-complex and autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis; on combination therapies to achieve synergy in immunosuppression; on new drugs, low molecular weight chemicals, the use of antibodies and gene therapy; on immunological tolerance to prevent or inhibit transplant rejection; and how data derived from transplant studies can be applied to other avenues of immunosuppression. Clinicians and researchers will appreciate the scope of the work and the presentation of new approaches in the rapidly developing field of immunosuppression.

Inhalt
Introduction, Global Perspectives and History of Immunosuppression.- Immunosuppressive Drugs.- Cyclosporine: Role of Pharmacokinetics.- Tacrolimus.- The Potential Role of Immunosuppressive Macrocyclic Lactones.- Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase Inhibition: Mycophenolate Mofetil.- Biologicals.- Therapeutic Anti-T-cell Monoclonal Antibodies.- Targeting the IL-2 Receptor with Antibodies or Chimeric Toxins.- New Avenues in Immunosuppression.- Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Allograft Rejection.- Tolerance Induction.- Gene Therapy Approaches to Immunosuppression.- Perspectives.- A rigorous approach to the diagnosis of synergy among combination therapies of immunosuppressive agents.- Lessons for transplantation of cyclosporine experience in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.