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The NATO Advanced Studies Institute series'Targeting of Drugs'was originated in 1981. It is now a major international forum, held every two years in Cape Sounion, Greece, in which the present and the future of this important area of research in drug delivery is discussed in great depth. Previous ASIs of the series dealt with drug carriers of natural and synthetic origin, their interaction with the biological milieu, ways by which the latter influences such interaction, strategies by which milieu interference curtailing the function of drug carriers is circumvented and, more recently, with the application of drug carriers for the delivery of peptides and proteins. The present book contains the of the 7th NATO ASI'Targeting of Drugs: Advances in System Constructs', proceedings held in Cape Sounion during 24 June -5 July 1993. As the title implies, the book deals with a variety of approaches to carrier design or modification that contribute to optimal carrier function. to Mrs Concha Perring for her assistance with the We express our appreciation organization of the ASI. We thank Dr. G. Deliconstantinos who, as chairperson of the Local Committee, contributed to the success of the Institute. The ASI was held under the sponsorship of NATO Scientific Affairs Division and co-sponsored and generously financed by SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (King of Prussia). Financial assistance was also provided by Liposome Technology Inc. (Menlo Park), Vestar Inc. (San Dimas) and Zeneka (Macclesfield).

Vaccination is one of the most efficient and cost effective methods of promoting human health and has been in clinical use for at least 200 years. Nevertheless, infectious diseases continue to constitute a constant threat to the well being of humanity. Common pathogens, once believed to be under control, acquire increased virulence and resistance to drugs, while exotic microorganisms emerged from hidden reservoirs to cause yet incurable diseases in humans. These changes, together with epidemic outbreaks related to political and socio-economic instabilities, increase the needs for the development of new, advanced vaccines. In this volume, devoted to the proceedings of the 39th OHOLO Conference, we present some of the recent strategies for the design and production of novel vaccines. The advent of recombinant DNA technology has stimulated the production of several subunit vaccines. In spite of the obvious advantages to this approach, the limited immuno­ genicity of many subunit candidates has hindered their development. Strategies to enhance the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines is therefore critical. Several approaches toward this goal, including design of novel adjuvants and delivery systems as well as design of advantageous carriers, are presented here. Among the carriers evaluated here are polypep­ tides (flagellin, HBV core antigen, J3-galactosidase), attenuated virions (Vaccinia, Sindbis), and nonpathogenic licensed bacteria (Salmonella).

Computers have had and will continue to have a tremendous impact on professional activity in almost all areas. This applies to radiological medicine and in particular to radiation therapy. This book compiles the most recent developments and results of the application of computers and computer science as presented at the XIIIth International Conference on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy in Heidelberg, Germany. The text of both oral presentations and posters is included. The book is intended for computer sientists, medical physicists, engineers and physicians in the field of radiation therapy and provides a comprehensive survey of the entire field.

The European School of Oncology came into existence to respond to a need for informa­ tion, education and training in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. There are two main reasons why such an initiative was considered necessary. Firstly, the teaching of oncology requires a rigorously multidisciplinary approach wh ich is difficult for the Univer­ sities to put into practice since their system is mainly disciplinary orientated. Secondly, the rate of technological development that impinges on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been so rapid that it is not an easy task for medical faculties to adapt their curricula flexibly. With its residential courses for organ pathologies and the seminars on new techniques (laser, monocional antibodies, imaging techniques etc.) or on the principal therapeutic controversies (conservative or mutilating surgery, primary or adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy alone or integrated), it is the ambition of the European School of Oncology to fill a cultural and scientific gap and, thereby, create a bridge between the University and Industry and between these two and daily medical practice. One of the more recent initiatives of ESO has been the institution of permanent study groups, also called task forces, where a limited number of leading experts are invited to meet once a year with the aim of defining the state of the art and possibly reaching a consensus on future developments in specific fields of oncology.

The vasculature of the central nervous system (eNS) is characterized by the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which can be regarded as both an anatomical and physiological phenomenon. The BBB is formed by a complex cellular system of endothelial cells, astroglia, pericytes, perivascular macrophages and a basal membrane, although the anatomic substrate of the BBB is the interendothelial tight junctions that form a continuous sealing. The BBB serves as an exquisitely controlled, functional gate to the eNS. It not only protects the brain from agents in the blood that could impair neurological function, but also controls the influx and efflux of numerous substances to maintain proper homeostasis and provide the brain with necessary nutrients. The structural and functional integrity of the BBB was shown to be dramatically altered during various diseases of the eNS, including neoplasia, ischemia, trauma, hypertension, inflammation and epilepsy. Recent years research has partially elucidated the mechanisms underlying the development of some of these brain disorders as well as the pathways used by different pathogens, like bacteria and viruses, to initiate eNS infections. The development of in vitro models of the BBB had instrumental role in the understanding of the involvement of the BBB in the pathogenesis of several eNS diseases. The intimate, functional association between the function of the brain and the activity of the BBB makes the later a target for pharmacological modulation that will expand the therapeutic possibilities for a range of neurological diseases.

Proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Cape Sounion, Greece, June 24-July 5, 1995

This book records the presentations given at a workshop held in Bonn in May 1994. The aim of the meeting was to bring together scientists from various disciplines and clinicians to discuss within a group of experts the theoretical, medical, engineering, and regulatory aspects of automated control of therapeutic interventions in. anaesthesiology. The meeting was considered a continuation of a preceding work­ shop on'Quantitation, Modelling and Control in Anaesthesia'[1], which was held also in Bonn 10 years ago in May 1984. That workshop dealt with problems of how to quantitate concepts like anaesthetic depth, how to model anaesthetic drug disposition, how to link phar­ macokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and how to use such concepts for the control of anaesthetic drug delivery. With respect to these topics the current proceedings have simultaneously both a broadened and a narrowed perspective. It is broadened in so far as the topics of the workshop did not focus exclusively on anaesthetic drugs and the control of their delivery, but did also discuss anaesthesia machine monitoring and patients therapeutic monitoring as well as control of blood pressure and artificial ventilation. The proceedings have nar­ rowed the perspective insofar as they do not intensively discuss the processes of quantitation and modelling but presuppose them and give more room to control, especially automated control. During the past 10 years informatics has tremendously expanded its knowledge and methods applicable to control problems.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Polymer Therapeutics - Recent Progress in Clinics and Future Prospects, held July 13-14, 2001, in Nara, Japan. The technology of polymer science has developed considerably during the past half-century, and this volume describes some of the aspects of this technology that will have a great impact in the future. Among these advances, for example, are gene delivery to specific disease sites and carrier polymers that respond to a stimulus or particular environment. Cancer targeted drug delivery is another focused area of this volume because of the important nature of EPR-effect of polymer drugs in tumor. Included are discussions of as many examples as possible of polymer drugs that have achieved, or are close to clinical use. The concept of'Polymer drugs'here is limited to primarily injectable and water-soluble agents, although also covered are some drugs in micellar form or liposomes. This book is intended for students and researchers in the field of pharmacology who have particular interests in drug delivery, targeting, and formulation, as well as for clinicians such as oncologists who are interested in the field. People who work at regulatory agencies should also be aware such that drugs with great potential are being developed and will be beneficial to many patients, as well as to health insurance agencies because of improved cost effectiveness.

This book is an outcome of the conference on the liposomes in drug delivery: 21 years held in University of London, in 1990. It covers themes such as novel carrier systems, newer and potential responsive or pulsatile systems, or systems such as liposomes which have a longer pedigree.

Advances in Drug Delivery Systems, 6 focuses on the progress in drug delivery systems as manifested in the fields of international pharmaceutics, polymer science, biotechnology, molecular biology, and cell biology. The selection first tackles biologically engineered microstructures and approaches to targeting bioactive compounds. Discussions focus on therapeutic efficiency of fatty acylated antiviral antibodies; effect of artificial fatty acylation on protein binding and uptake; and controlled release of proteins from lipid microcylinders. The text then elaborates on mucosal delivery of macromolecules and targeted delivery of diagnostic agents by surface-modified liposomes. The book examines the factors on in vitro micelle stability of adriamycin-block copolymer conjugates; vaginal and reproductive system treatments using a bioadhesive polymer; and control of the disposition profiles of proteins in the kidney via chemical modification. The publication also takes a look at drug delivery using biodegradable microspheres; approaches to improved antibody- and peptide-mediated targeting for imaging and therapy of cancer; and biodegradable microspheres for the delivery of oral vaccines. The selection is a valuable source material for scientists and readers interested in the advances in the systems of drug delivery.

Despite advances in the development of new drugs, a drug may never reach the target organ, or it may be difficult to achieve the necessary level of drug in the body. Large doses can result in serious side effects and can harm normal, as well as diseased, cells and organs, and for this reason it is vital that controlled release and the targeting of delivery systems must evolve in parallel to drug research. Chemical Aspects of Drug Delivery Systems reflects the modern challenge to devise effective drug delivery and targeting systems, giving particular emphasis to recent innovations in the field. Delivery systems described include carbohydrate derivatives, novel nonionic surfactant vesicles and various polymers, including polyacrylates and aqueous shellac solutions, as well as hydrogels. In addition, many of the key issues, such as the understanding of biosystems and targets and the development of materials to provide the deserved carrier and excipient properties for controlled, targeted drug delivery, are considered in depth. This book will be of equal interest to undergraduate, graduate, researcher and those in the pharmaceutical industries, and it complements two previous RSC Special Publications, Encapsulation and Controlled Release and Excipients and Delivery Systems for Pharmaceutical Formulations.