Year XVI -Issue 06 - 2000

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Conclusions While the molecular control of granulocyte and monocyte-macrophage formation is now reasonably well characterized, there is evidence that not all relevant regulators have yet been discovered and information remains incomplete on the intracellular mechanisms that determine what actual responses will occur following regulator stimulation. The colony stimulating factors, GCSF and GMCSF, have now been in successful clinical use for more than a decade, particularly in eliciting superior peripheral blood stem cells for transplantation and to enhance hematopoietic recovery following chemotherapy. Current results should be able to be improved by more careful attention to the timing of CSF therapy, the use of combinations of hematopoietic regulators and the development of long-acting formulations. The systemic and local use of colony stimulating factors to prevent and control infections needs more extensive clinical application as does the use of GMCSF to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. Donald Metcalf The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia .