title: The expanding role of immunopharmacology: IUPHAR Review 16.
abstract: Drugs targeting the immune system such as corticosteroids, antihistamines and immunosuppressants have been widely exploited in the treatment of inflammatory, allergic and autoimmune disorders during the second half of the 20th century. The recent advances in immunopharmacological research have made available new classes of clinically relevant drugs. These comprise protein kinase inhibitors and biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, that selectively modulate the immune response not only in cancer and autoimmunity but also in a number of other human pathologies. Likewise, more effective vaccines utilizing novel antigens and adjuvants are valuable tools for the prevention of transmissible infectious diseases and for allergen-specific immunotherapy. Consequently, immunopharmacology is presently considered as one of the expanding fields of pharmacology. Immunopharmacology addresses the selective regulation of immune responses and aims to uncover and exploit beneficial therapeutic options for typical and non-typical immune system-driven unmet clinical needs. While in the near future a number of new agents will be introduced, improving the effectiveness and safety of those currently in use is imperative for all researchers and clinicians working in the fields of immunology, pharmacology and drug discovery. The newly formed ImmuPhar (http://iuphar.us/index.php/sections-subcoms/immunopharmacology) is the Immunopharmacology Section of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR, http://iuphar.us/). ImmuPhar provides a unique international expert-lead platform that aims to dissect and promote the growing understanding of immune (patho)physiology. Moreover, it challenges the identification and validation of drug targets and lead candidates for the treatment of many forms of debilitating disorders, including, among others, cancer, allergies, autoimmune and metabolic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|Allergy Unit 'D. Kalogeromitros', 2nd Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 'Attikon' General University Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ekaterini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tiligada
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine and Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riccardi
authors.affiliation: Spedding Research Solutions SARL, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spedding
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hans-Uwe
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauro Martins
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Finlay Institute, Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Mario Landys Chovel
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cuervo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Holgate
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, School of Pharmacy Institute for Drug Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi-Schaffer
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000639:trends*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D010601:Pharmacology, Clinical / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016207:Cytokines