BSc Biology

This Unit builds directly on the second-year pre-requisite Immunology Unit (BIOL21242). Having established core principles and learnt about different elements of the immune system in year 2, you will now look at how the different parts function as a network of co-ordinating interactions in a healthy immune system to achieve safe and effective protection against the potentially wide range of harmful challenges encountered. 

• To expand on key principles of recognition, discrimination and triggering of appropriate immune responses introduced in year 2

• To highlight how different molecular and cellular elements of the immune system co-ordinate a phased response to achieve safe and protective immunity

• To use mucosal immunity to illustrate the importance of specialisation of the immune response in different niche environments 

By the end of this Unit you should be able to;

• use specific examples to explain concepts of immune recognition and discrimination at different levels of an immune response

• draw on current understanding to explain how recognition results in mounting of appropriate immune activity in a range of challenge and also non-challenge situations

• support and evidence discussion on current understanding of how different components of the immune system interact to bring about safe and appropriate immune protection

• reference challenges at mucosal barrier sites to demonstrate the importance of tissue environment on shaping immune responses.  
 

This Unit will build directly on the content of the compulsory pre-requisite unit, BIOL21242 (Immunology). While the focus in year 2 was on introducing different components of the immune system this unit will look more closely at how they are co-ordinated to achieve safe and protective immunity against a wide range of different challenges and encountered in different tissue environments. At each level of the immune response, discrimination and recognition/sensing of challenge will be considered, and how this links to the phased recruitment and amplification of effector functions that are appropriately tailored to combat, and provide lasting protection against, the initiating challenge. Mucosal surfaces and in particular the gut will be used to illustrate differences in mucosal and systemic immunity, and highlight the importance of tissue environment in shaping the immune response. 

The unit will be organised to lead you from barrier and first line innate responses, to recruitment of adaptive responses and generation of effective adaptive responses, including tolerance and memory, to a final section focusing on integration and co-ordination of responses. This final section will include the role of NK cells, innate lymphoid and innate-like lymphoid cells, cell dynamics and a look at specialisations for immune responses at barrier surfaces, as exemplified by the gut. 

Invigilated exam (2 hours)

One essay from a choice of 5, worth 70%, plus MCQ, worth 30%.

• Online ’Community Learning Forum’, incorporating anonymous submission and discussion, and regular monitoring by staff up to the Unit exam.

Interactive class discussion using past exam questions to challenge knowledge and interrogate course material.

• Post-exam self-reflection on examiner marking comments on scripts and in a compiled examiner report in a staffed exam-clinic. 

Recommended: Janeway's Immunobiology (Parts I-IV), by Murphy & Weaver, Garland Science, 10th edition (2022)   
Optional: Kuby Immunology, (Chpts 1-14), (8th edition, 2018), written by Stranford, Owen, Jones and Punt (MacMillan Education),

Optional: The Immune System (5th edition, 2021), written by Peter Parham (Garland Science).

Optional: Roitt’s Essential Immunology (13th edition, 2017), written by Delves, Martin, Burton and Roitt (Wiley-Blackwell).

Immunology is a fast-moving field and this should be appreciated when consulting both primary literature and textbooks. Further references will be provided in lectures.