Course Syllabus

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

MRSA being ingested by neutrophil by National Institute of Health (NIH) 10 May 2012

 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2020- DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Biology, Biomedicine/Biotechnology, Pre-medicine/Health Science
Prerequisites:	One year of biology, one semester of chemistry plus an introductory course in molecular biology/genetics at university level
Faculty Member:	Natalia Landázuri, Ph.D.
Program Director:	Susana Dietrich
Time & Place:	Tuesdays & Fridays, 8:30-9:50, 1D-410

 

Faculty

Natalia Landázuri Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (2005).  Post-doctoral fellow, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Associate Professor Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Research in genetic engineering, regenerative medicine, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. With DIS since 2017.

 

Course Description

This course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of immunology and infectious diseases. Students will learn about the immune system and how it can fight infection. They will also learn how an immune response can fail. Students will be exposed to examples of different types of clinically relevant infectious agents and the type of immunity they activate. In addition, students will learn how infectious agents can overcome the natural immune response and cause disease. The course will also illustrate how the immune response against these agents can be manipulated through the use of vaccines.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the structure and function of the immune system
• Describe how cells interact with other cells in the body, as well as with pathogens
• Classify the different types of immune responses
• Describe immunological events occurring in response to various infectious agents
• Explain how some infectious agents can overcome an immune response and cause active disease
• Describe immunological events occurring during allergic reactions
• Critically analyze findings in immunological research

 

 Required Readings

• Punt, Stranford, Jones, Owen. Kuby Immunology, 8th Ed., 2019. Chapters covered: 1 to 15.
• Selected section from Murphy, Kenneth. Janeway’s Immunobiology, 8th Ed., 2012. Chapters covered: 1 to 14.
• Selected sections from Murray, Rosenthal, Pfaller. Medical Microbiology, 2012. 
• Peer-reviewed articles with latest research findings within the field of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Examples include:
  • "The circadian clock in immune cells controls the magnitude of Leishmania parasite infection", Silke Kiessling et al, Scientific Reports, 2017.
  • "Human Th17 cells lack HIV-inhibitory RNases and are highly permissive to productive HIV infection", Aaron Christensen-Quicket al, Journal of Virology, 2016.
  • "Abnormalities of follicular helper T-cell number and function in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome", Xuan Zhang et al, Immunobiology, 2016.

 

Field Studies

We will have two field trips to learn how immunological concepts are utilized in industry, clinic or research.

Planned tours (subject to change):

Visit to laboratories at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. http://ki.se/start

Visit to Clinical Microbiology at Karolinska Hospital, Sweden

 

Approach to Teaching

We will use various teaching methods, including interactive lectures, class discussions, critical analysis of reading material (both individually and in groups), field studies, and literature-based research to build a final project. We will analyse a case study and state-of-the-art published research in the form of journal club. The pace and specific ativities planned for certain days may change depending on the interest of the students.

 

Expectations of the Students

• Students should participate during lectures, peer-led oral presentations, discussions, group work and exercises.
• Laptops may be used for note‐taking, fact‐checking, or assignments in the classroom, but only when indicated by the instructor. At all other times laptops and electronic devices should be put away during class time.
• Reading must be done prior to the class session. A considerable part of the class depends on class discussions.
• Students need to be present, arrive on time and participate o receive full credit. The final grade will be affected by unexcused absences and lack of participation. The participation grade will be reduced by 10 points (over 100) for every unexcused absence. Remember to be in class on time!
• Classroom etiquette includes being respectful of other opinions, listening to others and entering a dialogue in a constructive manner.
• Students are expected to ask relevant questions in regards to the material covered.

 

Evaluation and Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, all of the assigned work must be completed.

Students are expected to turn in all the assignments on the due date. If an assignment is turned in after the due date, the grade of the assignment will be reduced by 10 points (over 100) for each day the submission is late.

The factors influencing the final grade and the proportional importance of each factor is shown below:

Assignment	Percent
Active participation	10%
Exams	45%
Case report	10%
Journal club	10%
Final project	20%
Final presentation	5%

 

Active participation. Includes attendance, preparation for lectures and other sessions, active participation in learning activities class discussions and case studies, interaction (questions, reflections, etc.) with presenting students during journal clubs and final project presentation, contribution with teaching/learning material as assigned (homework and in-class)

Test 1. Test on the innate immune system and antigen recognition

Test 2. Test of the adaptive immune system and immune-/infectious-related diseases

Tests related to journal club (tentative). Short quizzes directly related to material covered during journal club.

Case seminar. The case “Infection, inflammation and the danger of stepping on glass” will be used as an illustration of infection and immune activation. Students should study the case in order to be able to discuss it during the seminar. The seminar itself is not a test, but active participation is mandatory and will count as class participation. After the seminar, the students should submit a summary focusing on a main topic from the case.

Journal club. Journal club consists of group work, presentations and class discussions. They serve as an exercise of critical thinking, critical reading, teamwork, structuring information for presentations and development of presentation skills. Students will work in groups to present a scientific article focused on an infectious disease or pathogenic microorganism. Each group should clearly present the findings and conclusions of the article.

The journal club presentation should follow a logical and clear structure. It should include the most relevant information on the background, methods, conclusions and perspectives of the paper, as well as a critique of the methods, results and conclusions. The rest of the class should read the paper and prepare 1-2 questions each, for the presenting group.

Final project and presentation. At the end of the semester, students will work on a research project of their choice directly related to a specific disease of the immune system (including autoimmunity, immunodeficiency and asthma/allergy) or to a defined infectious agent. The students will prepare an oral presentation of their project, and submit a written report.