Advanced Molecular Immunology and Cell Biology

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/AM_470656

Course Objective

To acquire insight into:
• the molecular and cellular aspects of lymphoid organ development
• cellular interactions within the immune system and how molecular diversity is generated to regulate immune responses.
• the various strategies of host immune responses against pathogens, and how pathogens escape proper immune responses.
• the various strategies of the host to positively or negatively affect immune responses during disease (cancer, inflammatory diseases, infections, such as COVID 19).
• mechanisms by which the immune system regulates either immune activation or tolerance induction.
• the mechanism of cell migration within the immune system.
• immunodeficiencies and immunometabolism End terms: Knowledge: At the end of the course the student is familiar with current knowledge on the induction and regulation of immune responses in health and disease. Skills:
- The student is capable of applying the acquired knowledge and can interpret scientific literature and scientific hypotheses of each of the topics described above.
- The student is able to read scientific literature, summarize the contents both at the level of the methods as well as the results section, and write a scientific abstract.

Course Content

Immunology is a rapid growing field of research in medicine. In healthy individuals, cells of the immune system allow us to live in symbiosis with micro-organisms, however the immune system is in disbalance in various diseases such as infection diseases, cancer and auto-immunity. The course will give the student the opportunity to enhance the knowledge on the scientificaspects within the field of immunology. Special focus lies on the immunological processes underlying homeostasis control i.e., tolerance induction, immunity, antigen presentation and processes that lead to the development of inflammatory diseases (infection diseases through pathogens), autoimmunity (neuroimmunology) and cancer. Because this is an advanced course in the field of immunology, and will go into depth, particular on molecular details, students should be familiar with basic immunology preferably via a previous basic training course in immunology.

Teaching Methods

The course covers immunological processes at the molecular level, and consists of lectures (22 hours) and study groups (14 hours). In the study groups students will read review articles as well as primary scientific articles on the subjects and discuss in groups opposing views on the molecular immunological processes that occur in the different stages of homeostasis and disease control. State of the art will be discussed of all topics, which will facilitate the study of scientific articles. The first seven weeks include lectures, study groups, self study, whereas the last part mainly covers the written assignment, self study and the exam. Contact hours with teachers and/or coordinators: 40

Method of Assessment

Study groups and active participation are compulsory. A substitution assignment is required when one or more workshops have not been attended, or when participation is judged as unsatisfactory. A written exam (T) at the end of the course includes assay (‘open’) (90% of grade). A minimum score of 5.50 for the written exam is required in order to pass. Additionally, an assignment dedicated to scientific writing accounts for 10% of the grade.

Literature

Lectures, reviews and scientific papers are part of the material that covers the exam (posted on Canvas).

Target Audience

Students with a keen interest to study immunological processes that form a basis for a variety of occurrences of diseases. In particular those that cover the interaction between host-pathogen, host–tumor and homeostatic control. Compulsory course for MSc Biomedical Sciences student with specialization Immunology and/or Infectious Diseases.

Entry Requirements

Solid knowledge on basic immunology is compulsory before the start of the course.