Whats in the pipeline?
Two key features are slowly filtering down. a) Much more pager memory/longer messages. Most pagers are severely limited in the amount of material they can hold, with a typical maximum being about 20 messages. Units with much larger memories, or even better, units that are hooked into palmtop or laptop computers, are making it to market. b) two way communications: In its simplest form this allows the pager to verify reception to the transmitter. Also on the way is complete two-way communication which would basically be wireless email. These systems are still a bit limited, but are rapidly gaining footholds in industry and should soon be consumer level. Take a look, for example, at what the Fedex folk carry. Hope this help. Again, update suggestions should be sent to dannyb@panix.com (or dburstein@mcimail.
University of California, San Francisco, Kidney Transplant Service, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Room 884M, San Francisco, CA 94143-0116, USA. vincentif@surgery.ucsf.edu In the pipeline, there are a number of novel immunosuppressive drugs in preclinical development or in early clinical trials. The major target of new agents are cell-surface molecules important in immune cell interactions (especially the costimulatory pathway), signaling pathways that activate T cells, T-cell proliferation and trafficking and recruitment of immune cells responsible for rejection. The most promising biologic agents include a humanized anti-CD11a (anti-LFA1), humanized anti-B7.1/B7.2, a second-generation CTLA4Ig (LEA29Y) and a humanized antibody to anti-CD45 RB. Inhibitors of T-cell activation and signaling are still in preclinical development. The most interesting inhibitors of T-cell proliferation include inhibitors of the Janus protein tyrosine kinase, JAK3, and FK778, a leflunomide analog.
