Adhesion molecules as therapeutic targets in the treatment of allergic and immunologically mediated diseases

The past decade has witnessed dramatic progress in our understanding of adhesion receptors. These cell-surface molecules serve a critical role in physiologic inflammatory and immunologic responses as well as in various disease states. The expectation that adhesion receptors might serve as useful therapeutic targets for allergic and autoimmune disease has accompanied progress in the field. Significant strides have been made toward this goal, particularly in animal models of human disease.