SBIK10168U Immunology

The objective is to provide the student with an updated knowledge about immunology and the immune system.
The course will cover key elements in the development, activation and regulation of the innate and adaptive immunune system.
In the end of the course we will focus on diseases caused by lack immune regulation. This will include Allergy, Autoimminity and Cancer and the current/future treatment strategies.

The practical course will cover a variety of currently used molecular cellular immunological-techniques, which can also be used in non-immunological research. The practical course will also include critical reading and discussion of original research articles.

Knowledge:
- Describe the cells and structural building of the immune system.
- Understand how the Innate immune system works, including creation of inflammation and specific ways of patogen recognition and phagocytosis.
- Understand the basic principles that controls adaptive immunity, including development of antigen specific receptors (TCR and BCR), nature and function of MHC molecules, activation and regulation of T and B cells, development of immunological memory.
- Insight in the molecular signal regulation of immunity, including cytokines and intracellular signal mechanisms.
- Describe the function of the immune system during, autoimmunity, allergy, immune defects, transplantation and cancer.
- Perform immunological experiments, including critical evaluation of the results.

Skills:
Use immunologically founded reasoning on various scientific problems concerning health and related issues.
Use various immunologically and molecular techniques to solve questions raised in immunology and related fields.

Competences:
Have acquired knowledge to discuss immunological literature, immunological problems, techniques and an updated knowledge of molecular immunology - both basic and more specialised areas.
Have a technical foundation to suggest experimental analysis of some immunological questions.