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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

High-throughput Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR Assay for Determining Expression Profiles of Types I and III Interferon Subtypes
Published on: March 24, 2015
[Interferons, a class of cytokines with a large therapeutic activity range]
1Unité 365 INSERM, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Initially discovered as antiviral agents, the interferons (IFNs) proved to be a class of cytokines with multifunctional properties, including inhibition of cell growth and modulation of immune functions. A number of clinical trials were thus carried out in cancer and viral diseases, and IFN-alpha therapy was shown to have a wide range of indications in hematology and dermatology: B-cell malignancies (hairy cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma), myeloproliferations (chronic myeloid leukemia, thrombocytosis), cutaneous T lymphoma, basal-cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Kaposi's sarcoma. IFN therapy also showed efficacy in viral tumors (condyloma acuminatum and laryngeal papillomatosis) and chronic hepatitis B and C. The antitumoral action of IFN-alpha mainly involves its capacity to inhibit cell proliferation, partly via antagonistic effects on growth factors. The elucidation of IFN-alpha signalling pathway(s) leading to gene activation, a better understanding of the interactions between IFN-alpha and cytokine network, and the development of combination therapy with other biological treatments or chemotherapy should greatly improve the clinical use of IFNs.
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