Recent advances in the understanding of the complex and multifaceted relationships and interactions between different components of the immune system have enhanced the awareness that its functions are not only to protect the host against foreign invasion but also from self. Consequently, major efforts have been undertaken to devise new strategies to modulate the immune responses to permit effective treatment of various immune disorders. The purpose of the conference will be to review the recent progress in research and development of novel immunomodulating agents, newer strategies to treat immune disorders, as well as to survey new information on the effects on immune functions of some older immunomodulating drugs. Topics that will be discussed at the conference include design and synthesis of immunomodulating agents, isolation and structural elucidation of natural products with immunomodulating activities, mode of action, pharmacology, toxicology and preclinical evaluation of immunomodulating drugs, clinical applications of immunomodulating drugs either alone or in combination therapies, peptides as immunomodulating agents, immunotherapy of infectious diseases, and the role of various biological response modifiers in clinical therapies.
