Potential Clinical Applications of Signal Transduction Measurements in Marrow Transplantation and HIV-1 Infection

The use of flow cytometry to identify and isolate cells by surface antigen expression was a fundamental advance for immunologists and hematologists and now has an increasing role in the clinical practice of medicine. Similarly, the use of the flow cytometer to study lymphocyte activation and cellular metabolism has proved to be a powerful technique. Knowledge of signal transduction mechanisms has progressed to a point where clinical applications of signal transduction measurements can now be anticipated. The development of a number of fluorescent probes for the study of intracellular ion concentrations in single, viable cells has permitted a substantial advance in the understanding of many areas of immunology. It is well established that changes in intracellular free calcium concentration play a key role in some, but not all forms of B and T cell activation