Overview

The module discusses three key areas of the human immune system and the roles of immunology in human disease and research:

• The development of the human immune system and the nature of human immune responses
• The development and nature of Autoimmunity and Autoimmune Diseases, with specific focus on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
• The roles of the human immune system in cancer development and current anti-cancer Immunotherapies Lectures and tutorials will present summaries of core chapters of the module reference text books and selected cutting edge research papers, research and review papers.

To enhance learning and understanding, lectures, tutorials and practical demonstrations are recorded for revision using the Panopto system http://demo.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=22c80343-6d76-4897-a4ca-2aba23825b5f&__hstc=231909632.e27853f42ca4e0e56212d5cec3a4a123.1401833490769.1402501966808.1402505968645.16&__hssc=231909632.36.1402505968645&__hsfp=177871209

• Innate Immunity: The First Line of Defense and innate induced Responses
• Antigen Recognition by B-cell and T-cell receptors
• The Generation of B-cell and T-cell receptors, 'education' of adaptive Lymphocytes and the nature of self-Tolerance
• Antigen Presentation to T Lymphocytes
• Signaling Through Immune System Receptors
• T Cell-Mediated Immunity
• B Cell-Mediated Immunity
• The Dynamics of Adaptive Immune responses
• Failures in immunity, Autoimmunity and Autoimmune disease
• Cancer and the human immune system, immunotherapy

To enhance learning and understanding, lectures, tutorials and practical demonstrations are recorded for revision using the Panopto system http://demo.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=22c80343-6d76-4897-a4ca-2aba23825b5f&__hstc=231909632.e27853f42ca4e0e56212d5cec3a4a123.1401833490769.1402501966808.1402505968645.16&__hssc=231909632.36.1402505968645&__hsfp=177871209

Assessment Strategy

Threshold (50% / -C) Criterion 1: Knowledge and Comprehension (Subject Specific Expertise) Understanding: The ability to use knowledge in particular, limited contexts, not the capacity to develop or interconnect knowledge Knowledge: The basic foundation of effective learning. Demonstration of knowledge requires and utilizes the powers of memory and recall. Knowledge represents a database of information; facts, principles, ideas and arguments.

Good (-60 / -B) Criterion 2: Analysis, Evaluation & Synthesis (Critical thinking) Analysis: The capacity to dissect information, arguments & ideas. The ability & confidence to stand back & look for logical consistency, completeness, relevance & usefulness. To discover & investigate the basic structure of an idea, reveal hidden meanings, problems & issues. Evaluation: The ability to come to judgments, based upon a critical review of available facts, information & views. The separation of evidence supported facts from unsupported opinions. The use of intellectual problem solving: the willingness, desire & ability to select from competing solutions by systematic evaluation of alternatives. Synthesis: The ability to build on the component parts of an idea or argument in order to develop further ideas. The capacity to engage in constructive, critical assessment of ideas & arguments & appreciate their implication. Originality: To demonstrate & convey ‘self-synthesized’ unique, arguments & discussions.

Excellent (-A / 70%) Criterion 3: Application and Presentation Grade (Transferable skills) The ability to draw upon, and use appropriately, a wide range of knowledge and skills to address questions and issues. The knowledge involved is in part factual, but also includes ideas, concepts, principles, technical expertise or theories Presentation: Written and/or oral and information technology (IT) skills. Indicators include such things as logical structure, coherence and clarity of expression, spelling and grammar, and the use of ICT and numerical data. Where appropriate, also requires that sources are acknowledged and properly referenced and the ability to work effectively as a member of a team.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of immunology in medical research.

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the development of the human immune system

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the roles of the human immune system, in Autoimmune disease and Cancer