Proteases in Biology and Medicine (Paperback)

This volume aims to provide a wide-ranging overview of the many and varied roles of proteases in biological systems, to highlight some of the more recent developments in this area and to provide an insight into future research in the field of proteases. For many researchers, proteases are often considered to be unwanted biological pests. Many do their utmost to inactivate proteases in order to prevent the breakdown of their particular protein of interest. For others proteases are tools that selectively degrade a protein prior to its further analysis. However, more and more researchers are recognizing that proteases are often key players in a wide range of biological processes, such cell cycle regulation, cell growth and differentiation, antigen processing and angiogenesis. In addition, it is becoming apparent that the aberrant functionng of certain proteases may underlie several disease states, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer metastasis and inflammation. An understanding of the role played by proteases in these processes may provide the opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Indeed, inhibitors of certain proteases have already proved to be effective therapeutic agents in hypertension and heart failure and against some forms of cancer and certain viruses.