Immunology in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Code
5573002
Academic unit
Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
Credits
4
Teacher in charge
Gabriela Santos-Gomes
Weekly hours
T: 3h TP: 18h PL: 3h OT: 12h
Teaching language
Portuguese and English
Objectives
At the end of the course the students should be able to: Know the composition of the immune system (IS) and the importance of immune homeostasis Understand the interaction between pathogens and the components of IS Distinguish the mechanisms used by pathogens to invade, evade and subvert the activity of IS Identify the immune parameters suitable for vaccine evaluation Understand the techniques used cellular and molecular immunology Identify the universe of application of different analytical methods applied to the study of IS mechanisms. Understand ethical constraints.
Prerequisites
Not applied
Subject matter
1. Lectures content 1.1 Infection and inflammation. Activation and subversion of the complement system. Opsonization. Chemotactic mechanisms. Phagocytic cells. Cell sensors. Oxidative stress and NETs. Apoptosis. 1.2 Antigen presenting cells (APCs). Gene structure of major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Restriction MHCI and MHCII. APC-lymphocyte interactions 1.3. B cellsactivation. Humoral immune response. 1.4. T cell subpopulations T cell activation. Pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Pre and post-transcriptional regulation. Cytotoxic mechanisms. 1.5. Differentiation and activation of T regulatory cells. Immunosuppressive cytokines. Immune homeostasis. Immunization. Cell memory. 2. Practical classes Execution of immune laboratory techniques. Chemotaxis. Flow cytometry. Surface markers. Monoclonal antibodies. Oxidative stress and cytotoxicity
Bibliography
Immunology. 2006. 7ª edição. Roitt I., Brostoff J., Male D. (Ed.), Mosby, London, 544 pg. The cytokine handbook. 2008. 3ª edição. Thomson A. Academic Press, London, 1017 pg Advanced immunology. 1987. 2ª edição. Male D, Champion B, Cooke A, Owen M., Grower, London Revision papers Experimental papers
Teaching method
Lectures Laboratory practical classes Tutorial support
Evaluation method
The evaluation of learning outcomes will take into account the participation and the quality of student interventions during classes and the level of success accomplished in the final examination. Rating equal to or greater than 10 on a scale of 0-20 provides the approval of the course.