gsw240 - Basic Immunology in Health and Disease (Complete module description)

Enrolment in Master´s programme Molecular Biomedicine
Basic knowledge in primary cell culture, quantitative real-time PCR, flow cytometry or histology would be highly desirable.

Goals of this module:
After completing this module, students are able to perform experimental approaches necessary to investigate selective immunological questions. These will comprise the normal function of the healthy immune system as well as processes leading to immune system dysregulation or immune system dysfunction in several systemic or organ specific diseases.
Based on the basic knowledge of immunology acquired in the module students will be able to understand and analyze specific scientific problems, plan experimental approaches accordingly, and perform the experiments.

Skills to be acquired/ competencies:
++ Deepened biological expertise
++ Deepened clinical expertise
++ Deepened knowledge of biological working methods
  + Deepened knowledge of clinical diagnostics
++ Data analysis skills
  + Interdisciplinary thinking
++ Critical and analytical thinking
  + Independent searching and knowledge of scientific literature
  + Ability to perform independent biological research
++ Data presentation and discussion (written and spoken)
  + Teamwork
  + Project and time management

Methods:
Key methods learned and implemented in this module include
  - Primary cell culture and cell separation
  - RNA extraction, reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR
  - Tissue sectioning, immunohistology and immunofluorescence staining including microscopy
  - Multicolor flow cytometry
  - Quantification of soluble factors and inflammatory mediators using multiplex-assay techniques

Lecture:
  - Regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses in healthy individuals
  - Dysregulation of the immune system in inflammatory diseases, cancer or autoimmunity
  - Impact of the environment on immune regulation

Seminar:
  - Presentation and discussion of laboratory methods used in the practical part

Exercise:
This module involves working on small research projects in groups of 2-3 students. The projects include basic immunology in humans and mice with the goal of better understanding the development of allergy, sterile inflammation or autoimmunity as well as immune regulation during cancer or infection. Using the knowledge of immune regulation gained in the lecture and seminar, students will analyze and evaluate specific scientific problems. Required methods of immunology, cell and molecular biology (e.g., flow cytometry, cell separation, isolation and culture of primary immune cells, gene expression studies, histology) are taught and used.

Text books of Immunology including Janeway’s Immunobiology or Abbas et al. Molecular and Cellular Immunology

Due to restrictions in space and limitations in equipment availability the number of participants for this module has to be limited. Students have to be enrolled in the Master’s program Molecular Biomedicine.

High priority is given to students of the Master’s program Molecular Biomedicine. In exceptional cases, vacancies may be allocated to Biology students. However, allocation to students not enrolled in the Master’s program Molecular Biomedicine can only be made by the lecturer(s) responsible for this module (personal application required).

After the end of the module.

50% presentation,
50% protocol