Course Syllabus

The Immune System & Cancer Immunology

A cancer cell (white) being attacked by two T cells (red) by Rita Elena Serda, Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, National Cancer Institute

 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2023- 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:	Chenhong Lin, M.D., Ph.D.  (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Director:	Susana Dietrich, Ph.D. sd@dis.dk
Academic Support:	academics@disstockholm.se
Time & Place:	Mondays & Thursdays 01:15-2:35, Room: 1D-411

 

Course Description

This course will help students to develop a fundamental understanding of human immune system and how it can play a role in cancer development and be utilized for cancer treatment. The students will learn about innate and adaptive immunity and all aspects of it that are relevant regarding tumor biology and cancer treatment options.  The students will learn how cancer cells evade immune surveillance and form tumor. In addition, students will be exposed to examples of different types of cancer (solid tumor, hematopoietic malignancies, as well as some virus-associated cancer) and the type of immunity they activate. The course will also illustrate how the natural immune response can be manipulated and enhanced against development malignant cells. 

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the structure and function of the immune system
• Describe how immune cells interact with both normal and faulty cells in the body.
• Understand the innate and adaptive immune responses
• Understand the characteristics of cancer cells, carcinogenesis and metastasis
• Describe immunological events during cancer development (malignant transformation) and treatment
• Apply the immunological knowledge in analysing clinical relevant cases
• Critically analyse findings in immunological research paper (JC)
• Know how to do proper literature search and scientific writing 

 

Readings

• Punt, Stranford, Jones, Owen. Kuby Immunology, 8th Ed., 2019. Chapters covered: 1 to 15.
• Select chapters from the books:
  • Weinberg R. The Biology of Cancer (2nd ed). New York, NY: Garland Sciences, 2014. 
  • DeVita V. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology (3rd ed). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer, 2020.
• Peer-reviewed scientific articles posted on Canvas.

Faculty

Chenhong Lin M.D. (Jilin University, 2008-2015). Ph.D. (Karolinska Institutet, 2016-2021). With DIS since 2022.

 

Field Studies

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

Examples of possible visits (subject to change):

Visit to cancer immunology research group at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 

More TBD.

 

Approach to Teaching

We will use various teaching methods, including interactive lectures, class discussions, cancer-immunology relevant news sharing, critical analysis of reading material, field studies, and literature-based research to build a final project. This course is promoting an active learning approach, which involves students actively read the material, identify the significance of the content, and build their own quiz, to facilitate students’ absorption and integration of classroom material. We will also analyse some clinical cases relevant to our topics in the form of case study and state-of-the-art published research in the form of journal club. The pace and specific activities 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
Participation	10%
Cancer-immunology news sharing	5%
Test 1	10%
Case report	25%
Journal club	20%
Project report	15%
Test 2	15%

 

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 & adaptive immune system. 

Test 2. Test of the cancer characteristics, malignant transformation cancer evasion and anticancer immunotherapies.

Test 1 and test 2 are open-book exam where you can only refer to textbook and your own note, and you should not have any other online resources or tabs open on your web browser or desktop once the exam begins. If the faculty notice any abnormal activity, then the student(s) have the burden of proof. 

Case seminar. There will be several clinical cases involving virus-associated cancer, cancer vaccine and other cancer-relevant topic that could allow the students to apply the immunology knowledge they have just learnt.  Students will be asked to do some preparation prior to the seminar in order to be able to discuss it in the class. After the seminar, the students should submit a report individually.

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 report. Towards the end of the semester, students will work on a research project of their choice directly related to a specific cancer and the relevant immunological elements. The students will prepare a written report of the project individually, upload to canvas and do a peer review for one other student and give constructive feedback. 

Any activity violating the intention or spirit of the DIS Academic Honor Code (see below) may lead to 0 point for the specific test or assignment.