In this class you will use your knowledge of cellular and molecular biology to understand how the immune system functions and malfunctions. As it is one of the branches of biology with most extensive vocabulary, we will emphasize the correct usage of terminology and apply it to critical reading of research articles. You will experience first hand the cellular and molecular aspects of immunology in the lab, where you will apply what you have learned in class to answering a question of your own by researching, designing, planning and executing an experiment. In addition you will learn how to communicate your findings clearly in the language of immunology.
Websites created as a part of the class
The course will analyze in detail the relationship between the development of immune cells and their function during the immune response. Questions like how the immune system appeared in vertebrates and evolved; what developmental mistakes may lead to defective immune function such as hereditary immunodeficiency and autoimmunity, will also be addressed on the cellular and molecular level. Critical reading of scientific articles, presentation to the class, and in-class discussion of the findings will be the main tools of investigation.
Paper Deconstruction Exercise to help improve the reading and understanding research papers from the primary literature and any paper writing of your own
In this seminar we will explore on the cellular and molecular level how the immune system perceives infection and then communicates that information to the appropriate cells in the body. We will learn how the cells of the immune system “talk” to each other to coordinate the immune response, why do they sometimes fail to communicate properly, and finally, after the battle with infection has been won, how is the immune response turned off. We will address these questions by critical reading of the original research literature and we will pose new questions on the topic by writing research proposals.