5 ECTS credits
125 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4002176ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students must have taken ‘Immunologie’, before they can enroll in ‘Manipulation of the Immune System’ OF moet men ingeschreven zijn in de educatieve master.
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculteit Geneeskunde en Farmacie
Department
Basis (bio-) medische wetensch
Educational team
Nick Devoogdt
Karine Breckpot (course titular)
Joeri Aerts
Cleo Goyvaerts
Yasmina Essam
Activities and contact hours
42 contact hours Lecture
8 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

 

The course “manipulation of the Immune System” presents advanced studies covering main themes in cellular and molecular immunology.

The topics addressed during the course are:

  1. the adaptive immune system,
  2. lymphocyte differentiation,
  3. antigen recognition by B and T lymphocytes,
  4. repertoire selection,
  5. lymphocyte homeostasis,
  6. tolerance,
  7. immune responses,
  8. antigen presenting cell subsets,
  9. various aspects of immunopathology, incl. cancer and HIV and
  10. the toolbox immunologists have to their disposal to manipulate the immune system. 
Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Papers and supporting documents, Canvas
Additional info

 

Papers and supporting documents are made available by the coordinator to the students via the PointCarre platform and in the Learning Resource Center.

The following textbooks are recommended to revise basic immunology:

1. Immunobiology - The immune system in Health and disease. Charles A Janeway, Paul Traver, Mark Walport, Mark Shlomchik, Sixth Edition (2004) Garland, Churchill Livingstone, ISBN 0-8153-3642X and

2. Cellular and Molecular Immunology. Abul K. Abbas, Andrew H. Lichtman, Fifth Edition (2003), Saunders, ISBN 0-7216-0008-5.

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

After participation in this class, the student should have a good and up-to-date understanding about the different ways in which the immune system can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of diseases such as cancer or auto-immune diseases, as well as for preventing rejection reactions after transplantation.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Oral Exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

    Note: paper discussion

Additional info regarding evaluation

 

- Oral examination

- Students choose a research paper, taking into account the following rules:

• The topic of the paper covers at least two of the topics discussed during the course (e.g. antibodies and HIV, regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, et cetera). Be aware that the content of the paper determines the direction of the exam.

• The journal in which the paper was published has an impact factor >5. Examples of such journals are Nature, Science, Nature Immunology, Immunity, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, Cell,...

• The paper should be recent (published in 2013 or later).

• The paper should be chosen by the end of the course and a pdf-version of the paper should be sent to all lecturers:

- kbreckpo@vub.ac.be

- joeri.aerts@vub.ac.be

- ndevoogd@vub.ac.be

- cleo.goyvaerts@vub.ac.be

- Students have 8 minutes to present the paper using a Power Point presentation. Take into account the following rules:

• Maximally 5 slides

• Introduce the rationale of the study

• Give a general idea of the research methods

• What are the main results?

• Provide a discussion and future perspectives

• We expect a critical attitude and sufficient knowledge of the basic and advanced immunology related to the research paper!!!

- The presentation is followed by a discussion with the four lecturers. During this discussion, we will ask question related to basic and advanced immunology, the paper as well as topics that were addressed during the course but that are not related to the paper.

-            All lecturers will give a score. 

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biomedical Sciences: Management and Business (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biomedical Sciences: Clinical Biomedical Sciences (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biomedical Research: Standaard traject
Master of Teaching in Health Sciences: standaard traject (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)