Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Applied Immunology
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
Questions will be addressed before/after class. To resolve questions outside class hours or to arrange a
tutorial, an appointment must be made in advance by email.
Lectures: Eva Quandt Herrera (equandt@uic.es)
Case Methods: Iphigénie Goux (igoux@uic.es)
Laboratory Practicals: Soledad Perez Amodio (sperezam@uic.es)
Introduction
Applied Immunology is an elective course in the Bioengineering degree programme. It introduces students to the study of the body’s defence mechanisms (physiological and pathological) against microorganisms, toxins, or antigens derived from cellular malfunction. This course enables students to understand the components and functions of the immune system in health and disease and to apply this knowledge to the design of biosensors, vaccines, biomaterials, and other biomedical technologies.
- Prerequisites
Students taking Applied Immunology should have a solid background in Cell Biology, Cell Therapy, and Tissue Engineering.
Pre-course requirements
Students taking Applied Immunology should have a solid background in Cell Biology, Cell Therapy, and Tissue Engineering.
Objectives
Explain the basic concepts concerning the composition and functions of the immune system.
Identify and describe the elements of the immune system, from both structural and functional perspectives, in health and disease.
Analyse and communicate the role of the immune system in the functioning of the human body.
Provide students with an integrated view of the impact of knowledge of the immune system on the development of biosensors, vaccines, biomaterials, and other biomedical technologies, mainly for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Apply the principles of cellular and molecular biology to the study of the structure and function of the immune system in health and disease.
Recognise basic biological concepts and the language of biomedical sciences as applied to engineering.
Identify and solve problems related to the design of technological solutions that interact with the immune system.
Planning and organisation of work.
Communication of scientific data in different formats: oral presentations and debates.
Select and manage information to answer scientific questions.
Be able to work individually and as part of a team using the scientific method: observation, hypothesis, experimentation, analysis of results, and conclusions.
Syllabus
I. INTRODUCTION AND INNATE IMMUNITY
1. The immune system: detection, signalling, and response
2. Barriers, cells, and the macrophage as a tissue sentinel
3. Danger recognition, phagocytosis, and inflammation
4. Cytokines and cell communication
II. MACROPHAGE RECOGNITION AND POLARISATION
5. Toll-like receptors (TLRs)
6. Macrophage activation: M1 and M2 phenotypes
7. Biomaterials as phenotype-modulating signals
III. ANTIBODIES, ELISA, AND BIOMATERIALS
8. Antigen, epitope, and antibody structure
9. Principles and protocol of ELISA
10. Foreign body response and immunomodulatory biomaterials
IV. MHC AND IMMUNE RESPONSE PATHOLOGIES
11. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC-I and MHC-II)
12. Transplant immunology: rejection and immunosuppression
13. Hypersensitivity and autoimmunity
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Lectures (CM): Presentation of a theoretical topic by the lecturer.
Depending on the topic, different activities will be proposed to encourage student participation and may contribute to the final course grade.
Case Methods (MC): Presentation of a real or hypothetical situation. Students work in small groups or actively interact with the lecturer to answer the questions posed. Different learning strategies may be used to promote student participation and interaction. These classes may explore topics covered in lectures in greater depth or introduce new
content. MCs have the same importance and the same weighting of questions in the final examination.
Laboratory Practicals (PL): Practical sessions in which experimental techniques related to the topics covered in the theoretical classes are carried out.
Attendance is compulsory, and the content of the practical sessions will be assessed on the final day of the practicals and in the final examination. Students who do not attend the practical sessions will automatically be required to take the second examination session.
General aspects to be taken into account regarding the assessment system:
1. A minimum grade of 5 (out of 10) must be obtained in the final examination in order to calculate the weighted average with the remaining activities (MCs and PL). The course is passed with a minimum grade of 5 (out of 10) in the weighted average of all activities.
2. Examinations will include multiple-choice questions with 4 answer options, with +1 for correct answers and -0.33 for incorrect answers. Development/open-ended questions will also be included.
3. Examinations may include content from any of the activities carried out during the course (CM, MCs, PL).
6. Class attendance:
Attendance at lectures is not compulsory, but attendees must follow the rules indicated by the teaching staff.
Absences will not be considered justifiable.
Attendance at laboratory practicals is a requirement for passing the course. The
expulsion of a student from the laboratory will result in automatic failure of the course.
Attendance at ALL practical sessions is required in order to sit the first examination period.
7. Improper use of electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops may result in expulsion from class. Improper use includes recording and/or disseminating images of students or lecturers during the different classes, as well as using these devices for recreational and non-
educational purposes.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Case Methods: 10%. Corresponds to the assessment of classroom activity. Attendance is compulsory.
Laboratory Practicals: 50%. Organisation and involvement in the laboratory will be assessed, as well as specific assessments before or after each practical session. Students will present their results on the final day of the laboratory practicals (attendance at all sessions is compulsory). These presentations will be assessed.
Final examination: 40%. It includes content covered in any of the activities carried out during the course, including the practical sessions and MC.
Students in the second examination period:
Laboratory practical examination and/or assignment: 20% (if the practical component was failed due to lack of attendance).
Final examination: 70%.
Case Methods: 10% (the MC grade corresponding to classroom activity is retained for subsequent examination periods).
General aspects to be taken into account regarding the assessment system:
1. A minimum grade of 5 (out of 10) must be obtained in the final examination in order to calculate the weighted average with the remaining activities (MCs and PL). The course is passed with a minimum grade of 5 (out of 10) in the weighted average of all activities.
2. Examinations will include multiple-choice questions with 4 answer options, with +1 for correct answers and -0.33 for incorrect answers. Development/open-ended questions will also be included.
3. Examinations may include content from any of the activities carried out during the course (CM, MCs, PL).
6. Class attendance:
Attendance at lectures is not compulsory, but attendees must follow the rules indicated by the teaching staff.
Absences will not be considered justifiable.
Attendance at laboratory practicals is a requirement for passing the course. The
expulsion of a student from the laboratory will result in automatic failure of the course.
Attendance at ALL practical sessions is required in order to sit the first examination period.
Improper use of electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops may result in expulsion from class. Improper use includes recording and/or disseminating images of students or lecturers during the different classes, as well as using these devices for recreational and non-
educational purposes.
Bibliography and resources
Books:
Kuby Immunology. Owen, J., Punt, J., Stranford, S., & Jones, P. Macmillan Learning, 2018
Cellular and Molecular Immunology. Abbas, A. K., Lichtman, H., & Pillai, S. Elsevier, 2021
Janeway’s Immunobiology. Murphy, K. M., & Weaver, C. Garland Science/Taylor & Francis Group,
LLC., 2017
Popular science books:
Navarro RT (2024) La batalla del sistema inmunitario: Una forma accesible de entender la inmunología. Ediciones Pirámide (ISBN: 9788436849356)
Dettmer P (2021) Immune. Hodder & Stoughton, London, England (ISBN: 9781529360684)
Scientific journals:
Frontiers in Immunology: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology
Nature Immunology: https://www.nature.com/ni/
Nature Reviews in Immunology: https://www.nature.com/nri/
Journal of Immunology: https://www.jimmunol.org/
Annual Review of Immunology: https://www.annualreviews.org/journal/immunol