cannabisbusinessinsights.comMARCH 20268IN MY OPINIONImmunology originates from the Latin word `immunis', meaning 'exempt' signifying that a person contracting an infection develops protection from the same infection a second time (and is thus immune). The history of immunology dates back over 2000 years, and it was between 2000 and 1000 BC that there was possible smallpox in Egyptian mummies, including Ramses V, who died in 1157 BC. In 430 BC, the Greek historian Thucydides proposed that people who contracted and recovered from plagues - were protected from future infections, thus laying the groundwork for immunology.Advancing further in time, in the 10th century CE, the Persian physician Al-Razi (Latinized as Rhazes) distinguished between smallpox and measles. He also authored significant works on allergy and immunology, including descriptions of allergic asthma. Subsequently, in the 11th century, the Persian polymath Ibn Sina (Avicenna) introduced theories on acquired immunity. By the 15th century, the Chinese and Turks had developed a technique of introducing dried crusts from smallpox pustules into minor cuts to induce protective immunity. However, the inhalation technique for inducing immunity was reported in China as early as the 10th Century CE.In the 18th Century CE, British physician, Edward Jenner, noticed that milkmaids with cowpox seemed immune to deadly smallpox. He inoculated a boy with cowpox material who then showed immunity to smallpox, leading to the development of the first vaccine. This played a crucial role in the eradication of smallpox by the 20th Century CE and laying the foundation for modern immunology. In 1881 CE, Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, collaborated closely with Émile Roux, a physician, and successfully demonstrated a vaccine against anthrax in sheep. By 1885, the duo had developed a vaccine for rabies, with the first human trial conducted on a young boy named Joseph Meister after a rabid dog bit him - saving the boy's life and making a significant leap in preventive medicine.In 1884, zoologist Metchnikoff, while studying starfish larvae, proposed the cellular theory of immunology, suggesting cells defend the body directly. This concept significantly influenced views on the immune system, but its full acceptance came much later. In 1890, von Behring and Kitasato reported that animals immunized with diphtheria and tetanus toxins generated neutralizing antitoxins in their blood, highlighting passive immunity, contrasting with the then-prevalent cellular theory of immunity centered on phagocytic cells. This groundbreaking discovery that circulating antitoxins mediated immunity, known as serotherapy, led to von Behring being awarded the first Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1901. However, Kitasato did not receive the Nobel with him. Several immunologists have been honored with Nobel Prizes - Richet in 1913 for his experimental demonstration of anaphylaxis; Bordet in 1919 for his immunity-related discoveries; and Landsteiner in 1930 for his discovery of human blood groups."The most common therapies for immune dysfunction diseases have usually involved non-specific immune-modulating or immunosuppressive agents such as systemic corticosteroids, which also have associated short- and long-term adverse events because of their non-specificity."By Asif H. Khan, MD, PhD, MPH, Global Senior Medical Director, Immunology, Sanofi; Moataz Daoud, PharmD, Global Medical Immunology Pipeline Lead, Sanofi; Paul Rowe MD, ATS, Vice President, Head of Medical, Specialty Care, North America, SanofiIMMUNOLOGY: FROM PIONEERING DISCOVERIES TO OPPORTUNITIES
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