Immunology and infection: a beginner’s guide

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Introduce the basic functions of the innate and adaptive immune responses;
2. Allow you to understand how the human body responds to infection;
3. Demonstrate the importance of the immune system for health and disease.

Content

The immune system is a complex network of defence mechanisms whose primary purpose is to protect the host from damage. The threat of damage can come from a range of different sources – pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, physical trauma, exposure to chemicals and pollutants, and host-derived molecules. The innate immune system provides a repeatable and consistent response to threat and responds in a predictable manner whenever activated. The adaptive immune system is a vertebrate specific immune adaptation and enables the host to develop a specific memory to threats enabling it to respond more quickly and more strongly each time that threat is encountered. 

Across the course we will explore the functions of the innate and adaptive immune responses, develop an understanding of how they are activated and learn about the cells and molecules critical to their function. In particular we will look at how the systems recognise a threat, how they respond and what happens when this response goes wrong or is inappropriate. This will be achieved using a range of case studies covering acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, a range of pathogenic threats and the immunological response to allergens and cancer. You will be encouraged to identify areas early in the course on which you would like to learn more and that could make suitable case studies during the second week.

Presentation of the course

The course will be delivered through a series of ten lectures and seminars. During these sessions you will be encouraged to actively participate in the teaching through small group discussion, individual activities and question and answer sessions.

Class sessions

The course will be structured across the following broad topics. Ideas and concepts will be covered in multiple sessions and adaptations will be made in response to learner feedback and interest.

Session 1: An overview of the immune system – why an immune system important and an introduction to the functions of the innate and adaptive immune systems.

Session 2: The innate immune system – an in-depth exploration of the function of the innate immune system, how it recognises danger and what the key cells and molecules are.

Session 3: The adaptive immune system – how immune memory is generated and why this is important, the role of T and B cells

Sessions 4 and 5: Inflammation in health and disease – building on the content of session 2 we will look in more detail at the acute and chronic inflammatory responses, including how they contribute to the development and presentation of disease

Sessions 6, 7 and 8: Infectious Diseases – Across these three sessions we will use a range of viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases to demonstrate how they cause disease, how the immune system combats the infection and how the pathogens try to evade this immune response.

Session 9: Allergies and the immune system - In this session we will cover how allergens activate the immune system and how this can be treated and controlled.

Session 10: Cancer immunology – the final session will provide an overview of how cancer cells interact with the immune system, both through interference with immune function and through therapeutic applications.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. To be able to describe the basic functions of the innate and adaptive immune response;
2. To demonstrate an understanding of how the immune response contributes to both health and disease;
3. To use relevant case studies to explain how the immune system detects a threat and produces an appropriate response;
4. To explain, with examples, how some pathogens evade immune defences.

Required reading

No single text is specified as essential reading for the course. However, you are encouraged to engage widely with popular texts and more specialised books. A number of examples are provided in the supplementary reading section of the Course Materials on the VLE.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.