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A comprehensive introduction to the immune system. We will start by looking at the various cells and molecules that are involved, and explore their functional organisation. We will ask some basic questions such as how does the immune system know what to respond to? How does it eliminate infection? We will go on to discuss the concept of immunological memory and how vaccination works. Like any complex machine, there are multiple ways in which the immune system can malfunction. Once you have an understanding of the `nuts and bolts’ of the immune system, and grasped some of the main concepts behind how it functions in a healthy individual, we will move on to talk about disease situations associated with imbalanced immunity, including immunodeficiencies, allergy and autoimmunity. We will also look at the medically very important field of transplantation, and investigate the potential for the immune system to fight different types of cancer

Aims

By the end of the module, you will have an understanding of:

• The cells and molecules that constitute the immune system.
• The functional organisation of the immune system.
• How the immune system recognises and then destroys pathogens.
• The concept of immunological memory and how vaccination works.
• How the immune system itself can sometimes cause disease – immunopathology.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• Describe and cells and molecules that constitute the immune system.
• Describe the functional organisation of the immune system and the processes that are involved in the recognition and destruction of pathogens.
• Discuss the role of the immune system in health and disease, including allergy, cancer, transplantation and autoimmunity.