Foreword
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
The biochemical processes that occur at the cell surface have profound effects on the well-being of single cells and whole organisms. Cell surface phenomena are principal areas of study in all disciplines of modern biological research, including physiology, development and differentiation, immunology, cancer, neurobiology, and cell growth and death. Moreover, the molecules that lie on or immediately subjacent to the cell surface comprise prime targets for alleviation or treatment of human diseases. Because of the importance of this research, it was decided to focus the 57th Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on the topic of The Cell Surface. There was, however, a considerable challenge to bring together a diverse group of scientists who study biology at the cell surface, but there was also comfort in the fact that common molecular themes appear in all species, from bacteria to man.
The very first Symposium, organized by Reginald Harris in 1933, was entitled...
