Abstract
The textbook Clinical Immunology and Allergology, prepared by the staff of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology of the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, edited by Valentyna Chopyak and Anna Havrylyuk, was published in 2025.
It is one of the few domestic specialized publications devoted to immunology and allergology, covering everything from deep cellular and molecular mechanisms to clinical manifestations. This textbook differs from previous ones in its comprehensive and specific approach to presenting the material.
The book combines the latest international evidence-based data, consensus documents, guidelines with standards, national guidelines from Ukrainian experts, as well as local clinical experience and scientific developments from the department and center, forming a comprehensive, practice-oriented resource for the training of adult and pediatric immunologists and allergists, interested postgraduates, interns and students. It meets modern requirements for medical education, providing a systematic, clinically oriented presentation of immunology and allergology—from fundamental mechanisms to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of immune system disorders and immune-dependent diseases.
The textbook brings together materials from more than 20 authors—department staff and Polish specialists in the field of Immunology and Allergology, who highlight the latest achievements in anti-infective immunity, immunopathology across various therapeutic areas, reproductive immunology, transplantology, and modern allergology. The publication is distinguished by its in-depth fundamental research, integration into clinical practice, logical structure, and high-quality illustrative material.
The book consists of six main sections: (I) Basic knowledge of the immune system and methods of its assessment; (II) Fundamentals of immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis; (III) Anti-infective immunity; (IV) Disruption of the protective role of the immune system in the human body; (V) Impaired regulation of the immune response and immunopathology; (VI) Genetically and epigenetically determined disorders of the immune response.
Section I provides a fundamental understanding of the structure, cellular and molecular components, regulation in the human body, and age-related characteristics of the immune system; the subsection devoted to laboratory assessment of immune function is particularly valuable for practical medicine. Section II systematizes the principles of modern targeted immunotherapy based on monoclonal antibodies, signaling systems, transcription factors, the possibilities of immune pharmacotherapy, and the prospects for cell and gene therapy. The textbook evaluates the potential of immunorestorative treatment methods (plasmapheresis, immunosorption) and the importance of vaccine development, with a review of the current regulatory framework for vaccinations in Ukraine and vaccination of immunocompromised patients. Section III focuses on anti-infective immunity, covering the mechanisms of the immune response to HIV, herpesviruses, SARS-CoV-2, and providing a detailed analysis of the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19 and post-COVID syndrome. Section IV covers specialized multidisciplinary areas of immunology, immunohematology, oncoimmunology, transplantology and reproductive immunology, which are of particular practical value. Section V examines allergic, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, and immunoproliferative diseases, in particular, sarcoidosis. It proposes modern approaches to the verification of these diseases and the use of targeted drugs. Chapter VI is devoted to primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, molecular-genetic mechanisms, their development, innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment. The issues of sepsis and shock are covered in a modern way.
The textbook Clinical Immunology and Allergology, edited by Professors Valentyna Chopyak and Anna Havrylyuk, demonstrates a high level of clinical integration throughout, even in sections that are not strictly clinical. The textbook provides a deep dive into the medical aspects of the material, going far beyond isolated comments. In some places, this approach seems less systematic, but it maintains the momentum of the presentation, sustains interest, and promotes better knowledge retention.
The publication demonstrates a high level of integration of fundamental and clinical knowledge, which provides the reader with a clear understanding of the material. The needs of the medically oriented reader are taken into account through sections devoted to topics rarely covered in other textbooks in this field. Of particular note is the inclusion of sections devoted to the immunological aspects of transplantation, reproduction, and long COVID. Considerable attention is paid to contemporary scientific trends—immunogenetics, cytokine networks, and the microbiome.
The textbook features high-quality illustrations: color diagrams, tables, microscopic images and clinical examples. Importantly, some of the illustrations are based on the department’s own archive, which gives the publication a unique practical character and emphasizes the close connection between the educational process and clinical bases.
Overall, this publication is carefully crafted, didactically thought out, and modern in content. We highly recommend this textbook and support its wide distribution, including internationally. It will undoubtedly become a reliable reference book for both teaching and practice for immunologists and allergists, as well as for interested interns, postgraduates, and students of medical institutions.