Immunology Syllabus

Biology 610

Dr. Kathy Zanin

 

Lecture Course Time: Tuesday 6:45-9:45 PM

Lecture Room: Duckett 114

Instructor: Dr. Kathy Zanin

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 1:00 – 2:30 / Office:  Duckett Hall 318

Phone: 953-7077 / Email: zaninm1@citadel.edu

Lecture Course Objectives: 

  1. Describe the cells and organs of the immune system
  2. Understand the mechanism of  a clonal response
  3. Describe cell-mediated immunity
  4. Know the mediators/regulators of cellular immunity
  5. Learn the structure of immunoglobulins
  6. Describe antigen-antibody reactions
  7. Understand the role of complement in immunity
  8. Learn how immunizations and vaccines are developed and how they prevent illness
  9. Study some of the immunological defects that can be inherited or induced by infection; immunodeficiency, HIV-AIDS, Candida, Hypersensitivity, Allergy
  10. Work in a small group to do in-depth study of a current topic in immunology and present what you have learned to the class

Required Text:  Immunology, 5th edition, by Goldsby, Kindt, Osborne, and Kuby

Lecture Schedule:

T

1/10

Pre-course test

Introduction

Begin Chapters 1-3

 

T

2/28

Test Two

 

Group Two Journal Club Meeting

M

1/16

MLK Holiday

 

 

T

3/7

Group Two Presentations

Begin Chapters 13-18

T

1/17

Quiz 1

Continue Chapters 1-3

 

 

W

3/8

Last Day to Withdraw with Grade of W

R

1/19

CGPS Drop Add Ends

 

 

T

3/14

Quiz 5

Continue Chapters 13-18

T

1/24

Quiz 2

Continue Chapters 1-3

 

 

T

3/21

Quiz 6

Continue Chapters 13-18

T

1/31

Test One

 

Group One Journal Club Meeting

 

T

3/28

Spring Break

T

2/6

Group One Presentations

Begin Chapters 4-8

 

 

T

4/4

Test Three

Group Three Journal Club Meeting

T

2/13

Quiz 3

Continue Chapters 4-8

 

 

T

4/11

Group Two Presentations

Course Review

T

2/20

  Quiz 4

  Continue Chapters 4-8

 

T

4/18

  Last Class

  Post Course Test

 

 

 

 

T

4/25

FINAL EXAM

 

For grading information see page 2
Your final grade for this course is determined as follows:

 Quiz Average

25%

 

A

92-100

Test Average

45%

 

B

80-91

Final Exam (Lecture)

10%

 

C

70-79

WebCT use

10%

 

D

60-69

PowerPoint Presentation

10%

 

F

0-59

 

Quizzes:  Quizzes will help you keep up with the course material and help you prepare for upcoming tests.  There are 6 scheduled quizzes in the lecture portion of the course (see lecture schedule above.)  There may also be unannounced quizzes throughout the semester if students are coming to class unprepared.  Scheduled quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions concerning material covered in previous lectures; pop quizzes will cover material you have read ahead in preparation for class.

 

Tests:  Tests will probe the depth of your understanding of the lecture material.  Questions will be a combination of multiple choice, true-false, fill-in, and essay/short answer.  Participation in the online discussion board will greatly improve your ability to answer test questions.

 

Final Exam (Lecture):  The final exam will be cumulative and will have a similar format to that of the tests.  If you have an A average on all three tests, you may exempt the final exam.

 

WebCT:  WebCT is a powerful tool and I rely heavily upon it in all of my courses.  You are required to use it for class discussions, to check your grades, to check for class announcements, and to send me or your classmates email messages.  Also here you will be able to download lecture outlines, syllabi, and other supplementary materials for lecture.

 

Small Group Repots:  Details on this project and the grading rubric I will use to assess you are in the appendix (pp.3-4) and on WebCT.  This presentation counts 10% of your final grade.

 

How to do well on quizzes, tests, and exams:

  • This is an upper division course.  I expect you to come to class prepared, work hard, and actively participate in the online discussions.  Read your textbook before class.  The material to be covered in each class is indicated on the schedule below.  A good way to come to class prepared is to make a list of questions on those topics from your textbook of which you are uncertain.  You will then be ready when we discuss those topics in class!
  • Check WebCT frequently, and participate in the online discussions.  If you need help using WebCT, ask me during the first week of class, and I will be glad to give you a quick tutorial.

Appendix

 

 

Small Group Research And Presentations

 

You will be assigned to a group of 4-5 students.  Your small group will study an area of research in immunology, hold a “Journal Club” meeting and present what you have learned to the class.

Requirements:

  1. Every student in the group will read and study one review article that the instructor will provide.
  2. Each student will independently select, read, and study one related current primary research paper, written within the last two years.  The instructor must approve your paper.  (It must contain a “materials and methods” section; it cannot be a “survey” or a “review.”)  Journals listed below are preferred:
    1. Infection and Immunity
    2. Journal of Clinical Investigation
    3. Journal of Immunology 
    4. Molecular Immunology 
  3. Each group will hold an in class “Journal Club” meeting to discuss the contents of the papers.  Be sure to discuss how the information from your paper supports or contradicts the information from the review article.  Your performance in this meeting will count for half of your report grade.  Each student in the group will evaluate the performance of every student in his group.  The instructor will provide a grading rubric for students to use when evaluating each other.  The average score you receive from your classmates will be your grade for this portion of the assignment.
  4. Each group will hold a planning meeting to discuss how to present the topic to the class and to decide who will present each segment of the presentation.  This may follow the Journal Club meeting, if you so choose.
  5. Each student in the group will prepare a 2 -3 minute PowerPoint Show to teach the class about one aspect of the group’s topic.  This presentation counts for half of your report grade.  The instructor will evaluate your performance using a grading rubric that will be provided to you in advance.

Topics:

I.        B-Cells, Autoimmunity, and Rheumatoid Arthritis

a.       Group review article:  “The therapeutic potential of anti-CD20:  What do B-cells do?”  Robert Eisenberg, R. John Looney.  Clinical Immunology 117 (2005) 207 – 213. 

See link to full article on WebCT under “Small Group Resources”

Summary

B-cells play a major role in the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Not only do they produce autoantibodies, but they regulate other cell types, secrete cytokines, and present antigens. They are thus potential targets for therapeutic intervention. CD20 is a B-cell specific cell surface molecule of uncertain function. An anti-CD20 chimeric mAb (rituximab) has been FDA approved for treatment of B-cell lymphomas since 1997.

Rituximab also depletes normal B-cells by several mechanisms, including ADCC. Over the past seven years, it has shown promise in a number of autoimmune diseases in phase I trials and anecdotal reports. Efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis has already been demonstrated in randomized control trials (RCTs), and RCTs in SLE, inflammatory myositis, and ANCA associated vasculitis are under way. Safety does not appear to be a major problem, but continued vigilance is warranted. The increased use of rituximab, other anti-CD20 agents, and other B-cell targeting therapies holds great promise for substantial clinical benefits, as well as providing special opportunities to understand better disease pathogenesis.

 

 

II.     Hypersensitivity, Allergy and Asthma

a.       Group Review Article:  “Allergy and Asthma:  Mechanisms of asthma and allergic inflammation”  Bruce S. Bochner, William W. Busse, and Madison.  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 115, Issue 5, May 2005, Pages 953-959

See link to full article on WebCT under “Small Group Resources”

Summary

Initiation and regulation of allergic inflammation is influenced by many factors, including cell type, membrane receptors, and mediators generated. Furthermore, the altered esponse of targeted tissues (ie, airway smooth muscle) becomes important to the eventual expression of asthma. Finally, the genetic regulation and association of genetic polymorphisms has enhanced our understanding of host susceptibility. In this review key findings published in 2004 issues of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology are highlighted to demonstrate recent advances in these areas.

 

 

III.   Immunotherapy – Cancer

a.       Group review article:  “On the road to a tumor cell vaccine: 20 years of cellular immunotherapy” John R. Yannelli and Joanne M. Wroblewski Vaccine 23 (2004) 97–113.

See link to full article on WebCT under “Small Group Resources”

Summary

Cellular immunotherapy (CI), as we now know it, began in the early 1980s with the use of lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK) and progressed to the use of the immunologically specific, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). TIL were shown to be particularly effective against melanoma and it was in these trials that we learned the importance of immunologic specificity for tumor. With the identification and characterization of tumor antigens recognized by TIL, we now see the use of these antigens in various forms constituting vaccines. Investigators are using tumor antigens alone or in combination with dendritic cells (DCs), the body’s most efficient and powerful antigen-presenting cell.  Therapies are being delivered to many patients with different types of cancer in order to combat bulky disease, eliminate micro-metastatic disease, and provide a memory mechanism to fight tumor recurrence. This review will detail the past 18 years and present the developments that have been made in this therapy. Many believe that with continued development, immunotherapy will provide a fourth modality of cancer therapy.