Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases and disorders of immunity are continuous threats to the lives and wellbeing of humans. Studying fundamental processes of immunology such as the recognition of antigen, development of mature lymphocyte receptor repertoires, and adaptive immune response is crucial for understanding how the human body deals with the invasion of microorganisms on a daily basis. Thus, the first part of this course examines infectious disease-oriented problems related to the function and biology of microorganisms, molecular pathogenesis of infections, microbial virulence and therapy resistance, interactions between host and microorganisms, and inflammation and tissue damage. Then, we will switch to clinical immunology where the immune system is either not (entirely) functional or deregulated. Well-known examples are hypersensitivities e.g. allergies, autoimmune diseases, and immune deficiencies like AIDS.
The second part of the course focusses on a research grant application written in group work. The academic skills of writing, reviewing and presenting are developed while students are dealing consecutively with three different topics (e.g. tumorimmunology, vaccines, antigen-presentation).