Signal Transduction and Human Disease

This book uniquely relates the broad impact of signal transduction research on the understanding and treatment of human disease. There have been significant advances in the area of signaling in disease processes, yet no resource presently connects these advances with understanding of disease processes and applications for novel therapeutics. Given the emphasis on translational research and biological relevance in biotechnology, and, conversely, the importance of molecular approaches for clinical research, it is evident that a single resource bridging signaling research and human disease will be invaluable.

Dr. Toren Finkel is Chief of the Cardiovascular Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH, DHHS). He received his undergraduate training in physics and then completed a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at Harvard Medical School. Following graduation he pursued an internal medical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a Cardiology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. His laboratory has been interested in the role of oxidants as signaling molecules and the participation of free radicals in human disease.

Dr. J. Silvio Gutkind is Chief of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH, DHHS). He received his Ph.D. in pharmacy and biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His laboratory has addressed the molecular basis of cancer by studying normal and aberrant functions of molecules involved in the transduction of proliferative signals. He also leads a multi-institutional effort aimed to elucidate the molecular changes that contribute to the evolution of squamous cell carcinomas.