Since the development of techniques for cloning human interferons in bacteria, research in this area has greatly increased. This volume surveys recent research on interferons and emphasizes its relevance to biology and medicine, thus encouraging laboratory and clinical investigators to see their work in a wider perspective. The contributors, all eminent researchers fro Europe and North America, consider a broad range of topics, from the analysis of interferon genes to the effect of interferons on both infectious and malignant diseases.