Interferons as Therapy for Viral and Neoplastic Diseases: From Panacea to Pariah to Paragon

Robert M Friedman1, Sara Contente2

  • 1Department of Pathology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, USUHS/4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. rfriedman@usuhs.mil.

For more than 20 years after the excitement engendered by their discovery in 1957 as antiviral agents, there were no significant clinical uses of interferons; however, following their cloning they have been employed as effective treatment for several viral, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases.

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