Some active areas of DC research and their medical potential

This Viewpoint series provides authoritative and detailed outlines of exciting areas of DC research. Some of the subjects that frequently come up include development of DC; distribution of DC in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues such as skin, intestine and lung; different forms or subsets of DC; and the role of DC in initiating tolerance and immunity. In this Preface, I will introduce the Viewpoints and consider some future challenges as well as the medical relevance of DC research.