Immunology-2021 | Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Immunology

Credits: 6

Code: 13486

Course: 2

Term: First semester

Type: OB

Module:

Matter: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE HUMAN BODY

Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English

Teaching staff

Head instructor:
Dra. PÉREZ DEL PULGAR GALLART, Sofía - sperezdelpulgar@uic.es

Office hours:

Doubts will be resolved in face-to-face tutoring sessions or by video call. It is necessary to make an appointment by e-mail.

Sofía Pérez del Pulgar sperezdelpulgar@uic.es

Helena Muley: helenamuley@uic.es

Ester García: egarciap@uic.es

Víctor Manuel Díaz: vmdiaz@uic.es

Gemma Manich: gemma.manich@uab.cat

Introduction

Immunology is a compulsory subject of the degree of Biomedicine. It introduces the student to the study of the defense mechanisms body (physiological and pathological) against antigens derived from microorganisms, toxins or derived from the malfunction of cells. This subject allows the student to understand the interaction between pathogens and the host based on the knowledge of the components and functions of the immune system in health and disease conditions. At the beginning of the subject, there is a whole chapter about the composition and functions of the blood, necessary to understand the fundamental role that this tissue plays in the immune response of the body.

Pre-course requirements

The student who takes the Immunology subject has an important basis in biochemistry, human genetics, molecular biology, and cellular biology. These learning skills are included in the subjects programmed in the first course of the Biomedicine Degree.

Objectives

Acquire basic knowledge about the composition and functions of the blood.
Identify elements of the immune system from a structural and functional approach, both in health and disease conditions.
Understand the homeostatic role of blood and the immune system in the functioning of the human body.
Understand the impact of knowledge of blood and the immune system on improving human health, mainly in terms of disease prevention and diagnosis, and the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

Apply the principles of cellular and molecular biology to the study of the structure and function of the immune system in health and disease states.
Recognize basic biological concepts and the language of biomedical sciences.
Identify and solve problems.
Planning and organization of work.
Communication of scientific data in different formats: oral presentations, debates, "e-poster", "graphical abstract", etc.
Search for information using internet tools related to biomedicine and life sciences.
Select and manage information to answer scientific questions.
Know how to work individually and as a team using the scientific method: observation, hypothesis, experimentation, analysis of results and conclusions.

Learning outcomes of the subject

Know and define the components of the blood and its functions.
Analyze the characteristics and differences of the adaptive and innate immune responses.
Establish the relationship between the pathogen and the type of immune response developed by the host: route of infection, response mechanisms, memory, and evasion.
Know the main disorders of the immune system: hypersensitivity, autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies.
Learn the role of the immune system in clinical settings such as organ transplantation or tumor immunology.
Understand the mechanisms of activation and regulation of cellular and humoral immune responses and its relationship to immune system diseases.
Learn laboratory techniques for the study of blood and immune system.
Understand the theoretical basis of the immunological tools used in the diagnostic and research laboratory.

Syllabus

Chapter Introduction

Description of the syllabus, recommended literature, organization of the subject and evaluation.
What is Immunology? Immune system elements: organs, cells and molecules.
Definition of innate and adaptive immunity. Humoral and cellular immune response. Inflammatory response.

Chapter Blood Physiology

Blood functions and hemostasis.
Hematopoiesis.
Peripheral blood: erythrocytes, platelets and leukocytes (granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes).

Chapter Organs of the immune system

Primary lymphoid organs: Thymus (cortex and medulla; Hassal’s corpuscles, epithelial reticular cells). Bone marrow (reticular connective tissue, sinusoids, bone marrow macrophages and hematopoietic stem cells).
Secondary lymphoid organs: lymph nodes (anatomic structure, paracortex, high endothelium venules [HEV], cortex, lymphoid follicles, germinal centers). Spleen (white pulp, red pulp, splenic circulation). Mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT): Tonsils, vermiform appendix, gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).

Chapter Innate immunity

Natural defense mechanisms. Physical and chemical barriers. Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs). Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP).
Toll-like receptors (TLR). The inflammasome. Acute phase proteins. The complement system.
Innate immunity cells: Phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages), basophils, eosinophils, mast cells, NK cells.

Chapter Inflammatory response and migration of leukocytes

Cytokines. Properties. Autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine action. Cytokine receptors.
Chemokines. Chemotactic action and
The inflammatory response. Leukocyte migration to infection sites. Phagocytosis.
Lymphocyte recirculation: rolling, activation, adhesion and migration through the endothelium. Adhesion molecules.

Chapter Adaptive immunity

Adaptive immunity cells: T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells.
Development of B and T lymphocytes.
The MHC/HLA system. Antigen processing and presentation.
The T cell receptor (TCR). The CD3 complex. MHC restriction.
The B cell receptor (BCR) and antibodies. Structure of immunoglobulins. Generation of diversity in the immunoglobulin repertoire: rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes (somatic recombination).

Chapter Cellular immune response

From the innate to the adaptive response.
Activation of T cells. Interaction between TCR, MHC and accessory molecules.
Memory T and B cells. Effector T cells. Plasma cells.
Cytotoxicity mechanisms: perforin and granzyme, lymphotoxins and Fas-FasL.

Chapter Humoral immune response

Activation of B lymphocytes. Antigen recognition.
Lymphoid follicles and germinal center formation.
Somatic hypermutation. Antibody isotype switching. Effector functions of antibodies.

Chapter Immune response against pathogens

Immune response mechanisms against viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
Evasion mechanisms.

Chapter Immune tolerance

Hypersensitivity: Concept and types of hypersensitivity. Allergy. Fc receptors.
Autoimmunity: Predisposition factors. Autoimmunity mechanisms. Systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases.
Organ transplantation: Types of transplants. Rejection of transplants (hyperacute, acute and chronic). Prevention of rejection (immunosuppression and tolerance).

Chapter Immunopathology and immunotherapy

Vaccines: Passive and active immunization. Adjuvants. Types of vaccines (inactivated, attenuated, conjugated, recombinant proteins, DNA, and mRNA)
Tumor immunology: Anti-tumor immune response. Immunotherapy against tumors (CAR-T cells).
Congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies: Defects in innate immunity and in the maturation and function of lymphocytes. HIV infection and AIDS pathogenesis.

Teaching and learning activities

In person

Master Classes: The lecturer presents a topic during 50 min. Visual support in presentation format (Power Point or PDF) is used to accompany the explanations. Depending on the topic, different activities will be proposed to encourage student participation.

Case Methods: Approach to a real or imaginary situation. Students work in small groups or in active interaction with the teacher to answer the questions posed. The teacher intervenes actively and, if necessary, contributes new knowledge. Various learning strategies can be used to enhance student participation and interaction: debate, short presentations, role-playing games, questions/answers, “journal club”, etc. These classes can provide new content or delve into topics already covered in master classes. Case methods have the same importance and the same weight of questions in the final exam.

Virtual Education: Online material located on the Moodle platform that the student can review from any computer, at any time and that will contribute to the self-learning of concepts related to the subject. The virtual material is part of the content of the subject and will be evaluated in the final exam.

Laboratory Practices: Practical sessions where experimental techniques related to the syllabus of the theoretical classes are worked on. Familiarization with the most common experimental resources in an immunology laboratory. Attendance is compulsory and the content of the practical sessions will be evaluated on the last day of practice and/or in the final exam.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person

First call students:

Case methods, lab practices and class participation: 20%
Mid-term exam: 20% (optional)
Final exam: 60%

Students in second call:

Case methods: 20%
Final exam: 80%

Students in subsequent calls:

Case methods: 20% (the grade is saved, although if the student wishes, she/he will be allowed participate again in the case methods and get a new mark)
Mid-term exam: 20% (optional)
Final exam: 60% (if the student has done the mid-term exam) or 80% (if the student has not taken the mid-term exam)

General aspects to consider about the evaluation system:

1) Final exam: a minimum grade of 5 must be obtained to be able to make an average with the continuous evaluation marks (case methods and mid-term exam).

2) The tests will be multiple-choice with 4 response options, counting +1 hits and -0.2 errors.

3) 20% of exam questions could be about concepts that have not been explained in the classroom but are present in the recommended literature, as well as in discussed articles, press or virtual material.

4) Class participation includes: a) bringing interesting ideas or the discussion of relevant issues that will help improve the quality of the session, either master classes or case methods, and b) timely delivery of tasks or exercises.

5) Attendance:

Regular attendance to master classes and case methods is recommended.
Attendance to master classes is not mandatory, but attendees will have to follow the rules set by the teachers.
Participation in case methods is optional. To be evaluated for this part of the subject, it is mandatory to attend a minimum of 6 sessions and participate in the proposed activities as detailed at the beginning of the course.
Attendance to laboratory practices is mandatory. Students must participate in the groups assigned by the teacher. The expulsion of a student from the laboratory classroom entails the automatic suspension of the subject.

Important: Improper use of electronic devices such as mobile devices, tablets or laptops may result in class expulsion. Misuse means the recording and dissemination of images/sound of students or teachers during the different sessions, as well as the use of these devices for recreational and non-educational purposes.