Course Syllabus

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

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

 

Semester & Location:	Fall 2024- 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) chenhong.lin@disstockholm.se
Program Director:	Susana Dietrich, Ph.D. sd@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Mondays & Thursdays 13:15-14:35, Room: D410

 

Course Description

This course will help students to develop fundamental understanding of human immunology and infectious diseases. Students will learn about the immune system (innate and adaptive immunity) and how it can fight infection through an active learning approach. 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 different medications or vaccines.

Learning Objectives

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 the rationale and conceptual design of vaccines
• Identify the significance of different immunologic concepts and processes
• Critically analyse findings in immunological research

 

Readings

• Punt, Stranford, Jones, Owen. Kuby Immunology, 8th Ed., 2019. Chapters covered: 1 to 15.
• Selected sections from Murray, Rosenthal, Pfaller. Medical Microbiology, 2012. 
• Peer-reviewed articles with latest research findings within the field of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.  They will be uploaded to Canvas two weeks prior to the class.

Faculty

Chenhong Lin M.D. , graduated from Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, China. (2008-2015) Clinical training in First Hospital of Jilin University. (2014-2015) Ph.D. in medical science, from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. (2016-2021) PhD work focused on spinal cord injury, stem cell therapy and biomaterial, including the biocompatibility of the biomaterial. 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 laboratories at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 

 

Approach to Teaching

We will use various teaching methods, including interactive lectures, class discussions,  student-developed quiz, 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% (of the 100 points) 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 (Attendance + Active engagement)	10% (7% + 3%)
Field study preparation	3%
Student-led quiz	5%
Quiz for Module 1	12%
Case report + Discussion	15+5%
Journal club + Discussion	15+5%
Quiz for Module 2	20%
Quiz for Module 3	10%

 

Active participation. It's compulsory for you to attend all the lectures, field studies, journal club and case studies. The attendance account for 7% of the final grade. Each unexcused absence will be 1% off the final grade. You are asked to actively engage during each lecture, field studies, class discussions and interaction (questions, reflections, etc.). This part made up of 3% of the final grade.

Quiz for Module 1. Test on the innate immune system and antigen recognition

Quiz for Module 2. Test of the adaptive immune system 

Quiz for Module 3: Test on immune-/infectious-related diseases

These 3 quizzes are open-book tests 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. 

You will have 2 attempts and the highest score will be kept. 

Case seminar. There will be a clinical cases involving infections, immune deficiency or vaccination that could allow the students to apply the immunology knowledge they have just learnt.  Students will be asked to read the case and do 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, accounting for 15% of the final grade. The deadline of the report will be roughly one week after the seminar. 

For the case seminar, you will be asked to discuss the case in groups, and engage with or present to the whole class after the discussion. The active participation and discussion will be counted towards the grades (5%).

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, while also explaining important background and methods.

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 presentation will be accounting for 15% of the final grade. 

The rest of the class should read the paper and prepare 1-2 questions each, for the presenting group. The active participation and engagement with the presentation group will be counted as 5% of the final grade. 

 

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.