Objectives
The course material has been prepared to help the students-
- To understand the ability of our immune system to defend against invading pathogens in a logical fashion.
- To explain the structure of antibodies and its types; cells and organs of immunity.
- This includes our innate ability to defend against microorganisms (innate immunity); will this first line of defense fail, how we can fight infections (acquired immunity); if we react excessively, what price we pay (hypersensitivity); if we misdirect our defense, what the consequences are (autoimmunity) and very importantly, can we prevent pathogens from infecting us (vaccination).
Learning outcomes-
At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- Conceptualize how the innate and adaptive immune responses coordinate to fight invading pathogens.
- Determine what immunomodulatory strategies can be used to enhance immune responses or to suppress unwanted immune responses such as might be required in hypersensitivity reactions, transplantations or autoimmune diseases.