This course describes the fundamental mechanisms of the immune system.
Course Details
| Language | English |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Effort | 3-5 hrs/wk |
Description
The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of how our immune system works and its role in fighting infectious agents. Students will be introduced to the cellular and molecular components of the innate and adaptive immune responses (NK cells, neutrophils, B and T cells, antimicrobial peptides, complement, antibodies, cytokines, etc.).
They will gain a general understanding of the organization of primary lymphoid tissues (bone marrow, thymus) and secondary lymphoid tissues (spleen, lymph nodes) and will be able to explain how these structures enable the generation of a diverse repertoire of B and T cells.
Students will be able to understand how the components of the immune system are capable of recognizing and targeting infectious agents without attacking the body’s own tissues. They will learn the sequence of events leading to a T-cell or B-cell immune response.
Prerequisites
This course requires some basic knowledge of molecular biology.
