Immunology

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2023-2024

Topic

The course briefly introduces the development of the immune system, and then it focuses on the structural and functional characterization of the immune system of those organisms, which have important role in the biotechnology industry (environmental, food and pharmaceutical industry). The course discusses the basics of the physiological human immune functions, and briefly presents the main immune-pathological processes that lead to the development of immune disorders. During the seminars and practices, students gain in-depth insight into the function of the immune system and become familiar with certain modern immunological techniques.

Lectures

• 1. Introduction to immunology, historical overview, main aspects. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 2. Components of the immune system, cells, tissues, organs. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 3. Molecular level immune recognition: (PRR), MHC molecules, antibodies (B-cell receptor), T-cell receptor, antigen recognition I. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 4. Molecular level immune recognition: (PRR), MHC molecules, antibodies (B-cell receptor), T-cell receptor, antigen recognition II. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 5. Antigen presentation on MHCI and MHCII molecular surfaces. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 6. The complement system in action. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 7. Immunoglobulin an TcR gene rearrangement. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 8. Maturation and differentiation of B- and T-lymphocytes in the bone marrow and the thymus. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 9. Active and passive immunological tolerance. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 10. Local and systemic immune response. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 11. The course of the immune response. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 12. Lymphocyte recirculation and homing. Control and inhibition of the immune response. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 13. The cytokine network, its role in immune response control. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 14. Th1-Th2 differentiation. Isotype-switch control. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 15. Central immune response: T-B cooperation, cellular interactions. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 16. The immunological memory, its development and control. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 17. Effector functions and their control: humoral and cellular effector functions I. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 18. Effector functions and their control: humoral and cellular effector functions II. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 19. History of vaccination, present and future I. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 20. History of vaccination, present and future II. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 21. Cellular and molecular processes of inflammation I. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 22. Cellular and molecular processes of inflammation II. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 23. Primary and acquired immune deficiencies. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 24. Hypersensitive reactions. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 25. Autoimmunity and cancer immunology. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 26. Immunology of organ transplantation. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 27. Antibody development and production. Hybridoma technology and molecular cloning. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián
• 28. Antibody applications in diagnostics and therapy. - Dr. Kvell Krisztián

Practices

• 1. Determination of blood cellular ratio (htc) from fingertip blood capillary I.
• 2. Determination of blood cellular ratio (htc) from fingertip blood capillary II.
• 3. Determination of sedimentation rate from fingertip blood capillary I.
• 4. Determination of sedimentation rate from fingertip blood capillary II.
• 5. Blood smear preparation from fintertip blood, Giemsa staining, evaluation with microscopy, cell counting I.
• 6. Blood smear preparation from fintertip blood, Giemsa staining, evaluation with microscopy, cell counting II.
• 7. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, Giemsa staining, evaluation with microscopy, cell counting I.
• 8. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, Giemsa staining, evaluation with microscopy, cell counting II.
• 9. Blood group determination from fingertip blood using commercially available reagent / kit (immune precipitation) I.
• 10. Blood group determination from fingertip blood using commercially available reagent / kit (immune precipitation) II.
• 11. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-hystochemical staining, evaluation with microscopy I.
• 12. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-hystochemical staining, evaluation with microscopy II.
• 13. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-fluorescent staining, evaluation with microscopy I.
• 14. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-fluorescent staining, evaluation with microscopy II.
• 15. Consultation I.
• 16. Consultation II.
• 17. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-fluorescent staining, evaluation with flow-cytometry I.
• 18. Buffy-coat enrichment through Ficoll gradient, cytospin smear, immune-fluorescent staining, evaluation with flow-cytometry II.
• 19. Determination of post-vaccination antibody titer using commercially available kit I.
• 20. Determination of post-vaccination antibody titer using commercially available kit II.
• 21. Exosome purification from fingertip blood, NTA morphology evaluation I.
• 22. Exosome purification from fingertip blood, NTA morphology evaluation II.
• 23. Exosome purification from fingertip blood, fluorescent staining, NTA evaluation I.
• 24. Exosome purification from fingertip blood, fluorescent staining, NTA evaluation II.
• 25. Evaluation of immunologically relevant parameters using HTS methods – QuantStudio platform demonstration I.
• 26. Evaluation of immunologically relevant parameters using HTS methods – QuantStudio platform demonstration II.
• 27. Evaluation of immunologically relevant parameters using HTS methods – NanoString platform demonstration I.
• 28. Evaluation of immunologically relevant parameters using HTS methods – NanoString platform demonstration II.

Seminars

• 1. 1) Main cellular elements of MALT, 2) main molecular elements of MALT, 3) main cellular elements of SALT, 4) main molecular elements of SALT.
• 2. 1) Concept of immunity, 2) preservation of molecular integrity (DNA), 3) preservation of cellular integrity (viruses, cancers), 4) differentiation of the hemopoetic stem cell.
• 3. 1) The BcR as molecular adaptor, 2) the TcR as molecular adaptor, 3) pathogen-associated signals and their innate receptors, 4) sterile danger signals and their receptors.
• 4. 1) MHCI molecule-associated diseases, 2) MHCII molecule-associated diseases, 3) concept and significance of MHC restriction, 4) MAC assembly.
• 5. 1) Ig gene rearrangement, 2) TcR gene rearrangement, 3) classification of lymphoid malignancies by maturity, 3) classification of myeloid malignancies by maturity.
• 6. 1) Significance of immunological tolerance, 2) decreased tolerance: autoimmunity, 3) decreased tolerance: allergy, 4) elevated tolerance: cancers.
• 7. 1) Receptor / ligand pairs necessary for homing, 2) immunological checkpoint, 3) checkpoint hypoactivation and autoimmunity, 4) checkpoint hyperactivation and cancers.
• 8. Consultation
• 9. 1) Significance of immunological memory, 2) cellular elements of immunological memory, 3) molecular elements of immunological memory, 4) lack of immunological memory: causes and consequences.
• 10. 1) B-cell effector functions 2) T-cell effector functions, 3) NK-cell effector functions, 4) macrophage effector functions.
• 11. 1) Live attenuated vaccines, 2) inactivated vaccines, 3) mRNA vaccines, 4) vector vaccines.
• 12. 1) Physiological inflammation, 2) pathological inflammation, 3) sterile inflammation, 4) lack of inflammation: causes and consequences.
• 13. 1) SCID gene therapy, 2) HIV vaccines, 3) food sensitivity, 4) desensibilisation.
• 14. 1) Systemic autoimmune diseases, 2) organ-specific autoimmune diseases, 3) immunology of organ transplantation, 4) immunology of bone-marrow transplantation.

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Abbas: Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Elsevier, 9th Edition, 2017, ISBN: 9780323479783; eBook ISBN: 9780323523226
K. Murphy: Janeway's Immunobiology; WW Norton & Co, 9th Edition, 2016 ISBN: 0815345518

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Recommended literature

Coico, Richard: Immunology: A Short Course, ISBN-13: 978-1118396919, ISBN-10: 111839691X
M. Mahmoudi: Immunology made ridiculously simple. ISBN-13: 978-0940780897, ISBN-10: 0940780895

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Maximum of 15 % absence allowed

Mid-term exams

Immunology quizlets. Written test at mid-term

Making up for missed classes

Not possible.

Exam topics/questions

Single choice questions prepared based on the lectures. The written exam test might contain minimum requirement questions where the wrong answers could mean failure on the exam.

Examiners

• Dr. Kvell Krisztián

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Dr. Bánfai Krisztina
• Dr. Kvell Krisztián