Reza Jafari; Fariborz Bahrami; Byron Arana; Sima Rafati
Abstract
Professor Farrokh Modabber, a prominent immunologist whose early research laid foundational insights into cellular immunology, passed away on May 31, 2025, at the age of 85. Born in Rasht, Iran, he embarked on an illustrious scientific journey that spanned continents and left a lasting impact on immunology ...
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Professor Farrokh Modabber, a prominent immunologist whose early research laid foundational insights into cellular immunology, passed away on May 31, 2025, at the age of 85. Born in Rasht, Iran, he embarked on an illustrious scientific journey that spanned continents and left a lasting impact on immunology and medical research. After graduating from Alborz High School in 1957 in Tehran, Professor Farrokh Modabber earned his B.A. in Bacteriology (1964) and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology (1968) from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Under Professor Eli Sercarz, his doctoral work in the nascent field of Cellular Immunology led to a pioneering enzyme-based fluorescence method to quantify antigen receptors (published in Science. 1968;159(3817):884–5.). Driven by passion, he pursued a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School under immunofluorescence pioneer Professor Albert Hewett Coons, studying thymic antigen-binding cells (published in Science. 1970;170(3962):1102–4.). After his fellowship, he joined Harvard School of Public Health as a Research Fellow and Assistant Professor (until 1982), leaving a legacy of scientific innovation, mentorship, and global health impact. Institutional Legacy in IranProfessor Modabber returned to Iran first as Associate Professor at Pahlavi Medical School (now Shiraz University of Medical Sciences) in the Department of Microbiology, (1971-72) and then at Tehran University, School of Public Health in 1973 as Head of Pathobiology Department. There, he established a joint Master's program with Harvard School of Public Health and other top universities that trained generations of Iranian immunologists. His department pioneered Iran's first HLA-typing laboratory, advanced leprosy research, and introduced BALB/c mice for leishmaniasis studies - a model that became globally significant. From 1978 to 1979, as Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, he amicably resolved an international dispute while improving staff welfare and initiating a production complex. Shaping Global Leishmaniases ResearchAfter three years of leishmaniasis research at Institut Pasteur in Paris (1981-1983), Professor Modabber returned to the United States, where aside from lecturing as a Visiting Immunology Professor at multiple universities, he took notable positions with direct impact on leishmaniases research. These included Coordinator of Research Capability Strengthening for the WHO’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) (1984-2000), Director of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) (2000-2008), and Senior Advisor to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) (2008-2025).In his later years, Farrokh devoted himself to DNDi, where he organized and led a research program focused on developing new treatments for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. The priorities he established laid the foundation for the program’s strategy, and his contributions continue to shape its development to this day. At DNDi, Farrokh was known for his charm, kindness, and exceptional interpersonal skills—qualities that, combined with his brilliant scientific mind, became his hallmark.Scientific MilestonesProfessor Modabber has made substantial contributions across various domains:1. More than 84 publications (H-index 38).2. Leishmania Persistence: Professor Modabber was a pioneer in understanding the long-term persistence of Leishmania parasites in hosts, even after clinical cure. His research helped explain why recovered individuals have long-lasting immunity and HIV infection triggers relapse of parasites.3. Vaccine Development: He established the BALB/c challenge model and developed killed-parasite vaccines in conjunction with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG).4. Global Policy: He played a pivotal role in shaping World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines during his tenure as the coordinator for the Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) program from 1990 to 1996.5. Technology Transfer: He was a key figure in the introduction of flow cytometry to Iran in 1982.6. The WHO's adoption of the "Modabber Protocol" for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) treatment. Professor Modabber is survived by his wife, Marlies Haegglund, an Austrian colleague from the WHO, and his daughter, Yalda, Founder and Executive Director of Golestan School in Berkeley, California, as well as his sons, Zia, a prominent lawyer in Los Angeles; Ramin, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and mentor in Santa Monica; and Nader, an accomplished artist in Santa Monica. He was preceded in death by his second wife, Minou Bayat-Modabber, and was previously married to Lillian Guttman-Roth in 1961.
Xiaolei Shi; Lina Zhao; Liyan Niu; Jhao Wei; Xuwen Li; Yongri Jin
Abstract
Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disorder of the airways related to inflammation; it affects millions of people worldwide. Due to the side effects of inhaled corticosteroids, researchers focused on the therapeutic effects of compounds derived from natural products. Objective: To investigate the ...
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Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disorder of the airways related to inflammation; it affects millions of people worldwide. Due to the side effects of inhaled corticosteroids, researchers focused on the therapeutic effects of compounds derived from natural products. Objective: To investigate the therapeutic benefits of Narirutin a valuable flavonoid in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium for asthma. Methods: Narirutin was extracted using the enzyme-assisted method with the L9 (34) orthogonal array to optimize the temperatures, pH, and reaction time. The mechanism of action of Narirutin was investigated via ELISA, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis in vivo. Results: Narirutin suppressed inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue and decreased IgE and IgG1 levels in serum in vivo. It can also alleviate interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and interferon-γ concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in mice. Moreover, it increased the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cells. Additionally, Narirutin significantly suppressed p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK expression in the MAPK signaling pathway. Conclusion: Narirutin affects the Th1/Th2 imbalance through the p-ERK and p-JNK suppression in the MAPK signaling pathway.
Maryam Moradi; Abbas Fayezi; Mana Momeni; Asyeh Javanian; Suzan Amini; Mohammad Shahrooei
Nasrollah Erfani; Faezeh Moghaddasi-Sani; Mahboubeh Razmkhah; Mohammad Reza Haghshenas; Abdolrasoul Talaei; Abbas Ghaderi
Abstract
Background: CCL22/MDC is a CC chemokine with a critical role in regulation of the immune balance in physiological condition. CCL22/CCR-4 ligation has been documented to participate in the migration of regulatory T (Treg) cells and Th2 lymphocytes to the site of breast tumors; circumstances that are known ...
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Background: CCL22/MDC is a CC chemokine with a critical role in regulation of the immune balance in physiological condition. CCL22/CCR-4 ligation has been documented to participate in the migration of regulatory T (Treg) cells and Th2 lymphocytes to the site of breast tumors; circumstances that are known to be associated with poor prognosis. Objective: To investigate the association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in CCL22 gene; 16C/A (rs4359426; Asp2Ala), with susceptibility to breast cancer in a sample of Iranian population. Methods: 161 patients with pathologically confirmed breast carcinoma (mean age 49.3 ± 11.5 yrs) and 178 agematched healthy women (mean age: 49.3 ± 12.9 yrs) were studied. CCL22 genotypes were investigated by the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Data was verified by direct automated sequencing. Arlequin analysis showed no deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Results: The most frequent genotype in both patient and control groups was wild type CC genotype with frequency of 146 out of 161 (90.7%) among patients and 153 out of 178 (86.0%) in control group (p=0.24). The frequency of CA genotype was 15 (9.3%) and 23 (12.9%) in patients and controls, respectively (p=0.38). No AA genotype was observed among patients but this genotype was observed with the frequency of 2 out of 178 (1.1%) in control subjects. The minor allele frequency (MAF) was 0.07 in the population. Conclusion: No correlation was found between the investigated genotypes and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. Conclusively, results of this investigation do not support the association of 16C/A SNP (rs4359426; Asp2Ala) in CCL22 gene with susceptibility to, and progression of, breast cancer in Iranian population.
Amir Hassan Zarnani; Pouneh Dokouhaki; Mahmood Jeddi-Tehrani
Abstract
Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme involved in the catabolism of tryptophan, is expressed by a variety of cells and tissues such as macrophages, dendritic cells, cells of the endocrine system and by the placenta. IFN- γ is the main inducer of this enzyme. IDO acts as an important defense ...
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Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme involved in the catabolism of tryptophan, is expressed by a variety of cells and tissues such as macrophages, dendritic cells, cells of the endocrine system and by the placenta. IFN- γ is the main inducer of this enzyme. IDO acts as an important defense mechanism of innate immunity against pathogens. It also has tumor suppressive activity and prolongs the survival of allograft. One of the interesting functions of IDO is prevention of the allogenic fetus rejection during pregnancy by inhibiting alloreactive T cells. It was shown that inhibition of IDO activity by IDO inhibitor, 1-methyl tryptophan, during mouse pregnancy causes fetal rejection. The main mechanism by which IDO protects fetus is through reducing the tryptophan level and suppressing the T cell activity in the feto-maternal interface. In this review the biological functions of IDO with emphasis on its role in allogeneic fetus protection have been discussed.
Mojtaba Zarei
Abstract
Clinical neurology has been traditionally considered as an academic speciality in which the specialist regurgitates his/her knowledge of neurology without being able to do much for the patient. This attitude is no longer acceptable. Surge of information and discoveries in neurosciences within the last ...
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Clinical neurology has been traditionally considered as an academic speciality in which the specialist regurgitates his/her knowledge of neurology without being able to do much for the patient. This attitude is no longer acceptable. Surge of information and discoveries in neurosciences within the last two decades translated into therapeutic interventions which is literally life saving in some occasions. Neuroimmunology, without a doubt, has been in the forefront of such discoveries. Just a few decades ago immunology of the nervous system was of little interest because brain was thought to be an immunologically “privileged” organ i.e. inaccessible to cellular and humeral immunity. Today, however, clinical neurologists deal with neurological problem with immunological basis on a daily basis. This article tries to review such diseases and their current therapeutic strategy proceeded by an introduction to CNS immunity. Multiple sclerosis, as one of the most common CNS disease with immunological basis, has been given more attention because of the growing number of affected people in Iran.
