Introduction to Immunology and Immunopathology

The immune system manages the defense against pathogens and is important for the development of autoimmune diseases, allergies, and cancer. The course discusses basic immunology including cellular and molecular processes that represent the human immune system. The study materials include cells and organs of the immune system, antigens, immunoglobulins and antibody diversity, molecular mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity, the complement system, antigen presentation, and cell-mediated effector response. This course also introduces learners to a variety of infectious diseases. Through illustrated, short videos, learners will follow the course of each patient’s illness, from initial presentation to resolution. Integrating the relevant microbiology, pathophysiology, and immunology, this course aims to engage and entice the learner toward the importance of future studies in microbiology, immunology, and infectious diseases. 

Important notice to parents:
** It is highly recommended that learners enroll in this course (age 15-18) have a good foundation and knowledge of biology, basic knowledge within cell biology, biochemistry/molecular biology, and anatomy & physiology.**

The course is interactive and includes a slide presentation, videos, and lectures. The course is structured to be once a week for eight weeks and includes the following topics: 

Week One:
. In Module One, we will begin to discuss how some microbes cause disease in humans. Learners will familiarize themselves with the human immune system, including the cells that make up innate and adaptive immune responses. They will learn about humoral, innate, and adaptive Immunity, principles of infectious diseases, courses of infectious disease, mechanisms of pathogenesis, and damage to the host. By the end of this module, learners will be more familiar with how the host immune defenses actively defend the body against disease-causing microbes. 

. This lesson describes the role of the immune system, cells of the immune system, cell-mediated immune response, antibodies, hypersensitivity reactions, immunodeficiency, and the structural basis of antibody diversity. 

Week Two:
. Learners understand the basic properties, categories, signaling, and function of cytokines. They will learn how cytokines regulate immunity (e.g., increase or decrease MHC expression and T cell activation…etc), cytokines and acute phase proteins in infection, and the importance of cytokine in oral diseases. 

. B-Cell Development - In this lesson, we discuss antibody structure and the generation of B-Cell diversity, the structure of antibodies, immunoglobulins, the three-dimensional structure of antibodies, antigen-binding sites of immunoglobulins, B-Cell development, an overview of B-cell development in the bone marrow.

Week Three:
. T-Cells and Cell-Mediated Immunity - The lesson explains the process involved in T-Cells and cell-mediated immunity, the relationship between cell-mediated and humoral immunity, T cell-mediated immunity, Naive T-cell activation by antigen, and characteristics and roles of effector T-cells.

. Immunodeficiency - cellular development in the immune system, primary immunodeficiency, secondary immunodeficiency, the discovery of AIDS, the origin of the AIDS virus, progression of HIV to AIDS, epidemiology & statistics, HIV-1, the transmission of HIV-1, treatment of HIV/AIDS. 

Week Four:
. Tumor Immunology - This course discusses the etiology of cancer, immunotherapy of cancers, tumor evasion, types of cancer, UV-induced skin cancers, chemically-induced cancers, tumor immunity, immunotherapy of cancer, types of tumor antigens, and vaccination against oncogenic viruses.

. Allergic Reactions - Learners become familiar with common allergens and understand the cellular processes involved in allergic reactions, allergens, and allergic responses, hypersensitivity reactions and their effector mechanisms, IgE in immunity and allergy, 
IgE-mediated allergic disease.