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Title Basic Immunology
Course number 3139
Programme Allergi, immunologi och inflammation (Aii)
Language English
Credits 3.0
Date 2023-02-20 -- 2023-03-17
Responsible KI department Institutionen för medicin, Solna
Specific entry requirements A clear interest in Immunobiology. Basic understanding of cell and molecular biology (as an example - you should roughly remember what ‘translation’, ‘G1 phase’, ‘splicing’, or ‘endocytosis’ all are off the top of your head (without necessity for molecular details)).
Purpose of the course The student will 1) learn basic concepts in Immunology, 2) get an overview of the various immune cell types and their function and development, and 3) meet the Immunology faculty of Karolinska Institutet. This course is a good starting point for more advanced/thematically focused courses in Immunology. While no prior knowledge in immunology is required, basic immunology concepts will be discussed in depth and detail. Therefore, the course is also valuable for students that wish to broaden and deepen their general immunological knowledge.
Intended learning outcomes - To describe basic principles of innate and adaptive immunity and how different components of the immune system cooperate
- To describe how altered functions of the immune system components can lead to a variety of diseases
- To explain the importance of a selection of high-end research papers, and a selection of experimental technologies for advancing the field of immunology
- To create an experimental plan to address an outstanding question in the field of immunology
- To reflect on how your newly gained knowledge of the immune system may influence your current work, or how it inspired you to address new questions.
Contents of the course This is a full-time course, which consists of 2 parts. In part 1 we discuss basic immunological concepts underlying innate and adaptive immune responses. In part 2 we revisit and discuss these concepts in the context of disease. More specifically, in part 1 we will discuss development and function of key cell types mediating immune responses, pathogen recognition by cells of the innate immune system, generation of antigen receptor repertoires, principles of self/non-self discrimination and immunological tolerance, and mechanisms of humoral and cellular immune responses. In part 2 this knowledge will be applied to more clinical contexts such as defense against infection, autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, tumors, or transplantation.

Part 1 will take four full days and one half-day. The second part will follow after a teaching-free period of several weeks and will take 3 full days. The purpose of dividing the course into two parts is that the participants should have time to thoroughly study the literature from part 1 (fundamental immunological mechanisms) before learning more applied immunology in part 2. Considering the substantial literature requirement plus work on the assignments, we estimate that an extra 2.5 days of self-studying is needed during the teaching free period.
Teaching and learning activities Lectures: The majority of the course consists of lectures by KI faculty, specialized in the particular topic they lecture on.
International speaker + related preparatory assignment: Towards the end of each course part, we aim to have a seminar by a very renowned international speaker. The purpose of these seminars is to 1) give the course participants the opportunity to get inspired by cutting-edge research at international top level, to 2) deepen the students' knowledge in two different areas of immunology, and to 3) provide examples of different experimental approaches and how their application may lead to answering outstanding questions in immunology. The speakers have been asked to start with a more general introduction of their field of research, and then present some of the past and ongoing work in their lab. To facilitate the students' understanding of these seminars, we will prepare for the seminars with an assignment, which will be discussed just prior to the international seminar. The seminars themselves are open for the whole KI/KS immunology community.
Assignments: In addition to the assignment related to the international speaker, the course will include individual and group assignments requiring additional work during teaching-free period has small individual assignments and an extensive group assignment – the latter spanning the teaching-free period.
Daily round-up: We will conclude most days with a group discussion session during which the students have the possibility to ask questions regarding the topics of the day.
Compulsory elements Lecture attendance and submission of all course assignments is compulsory.
Examination In order to pass the course, the students are required to:
1) attend at least 95% of all scheduled activities, 2) actively participate in lectures and group activities, and 3) submit all assignments at a sufficient quality level. A single missed day of the course can be tolerated, but the student will be asked to work on an additional individual assignment based on the topic(s) of this day.
Literature and other teaching material Recommended literature:
Basic Immunology (Abul Abbas , Andrew Lichtman and Shiv Pillai) and selected research papers.
Number of students 12 - 30
Selection of students Selection will be based on 1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation), 2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date)
More information 20 Feb, 21 Feb: 9:00 - 17:00; 22 Feb: 9:00-17:00; 23 Feb: 9:00 - 17:00; 24 Feb: 9:00 - 17:00; 14 Mar, 15 Feb, 16 Feb: 9:00-17:00; 17 Mar: 9:00-12:00; Lectures will take place in lecture halls on Solna campus.
Additional course leader Carmen Gerlach
Latest course evaluation Course evaluation report
Course responsible Taras Kreslavskiy
Institutionen för medicin, Solna

taras.kreslavskiy@ki.se
Contact person Taras Kreslavskiy
Institutionen för medicin, Solna

taras.kreslavskiy@ki.se


Carmen Gerlach
Institutionen för medicin, Solna

carmen.gerlach@ki.se