Kendall A. Smith is an American medical scientist best known for his work on interleukins, the regulatory molecules of the immune system, which has led to many of the new present-day therapies for immunological disorders, transplant rejection, infectious diseases and cancer.

[5] His findings had a significant impact on immunology research and paved the way for the discovery of numerous humoral mediators of cell-mediated immunity.

[6] In 1993, Smith moved to Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City to conduct clinical research in AIDS.

Having extended his research to the clinic, by 1999, Smith established that low, physiological doses of interleukins could stimulate immune responses without toxicity.

The writing style is praised for its balance, being sophisticated enough for scientists yet clear and straightforward for lay readers, and his descriptions of lab work are lauded for their vivid detail and down-to-earth prose.