VMED 680 Course Objectives

  • Describe various cell types, tissues and organs of the lymphoid system including the general properties of immune responses.
  • Explain how the innate immune cells recognize microbes, and how they can prime adaptive immune system. 
  • Discuss how antigens are captured, processed and presented to adaptive immune cells.
  • Explain the mechanisms for the generation of diverse immune repertoire, and how antigens are recognized by adaptive immune cells.            
  • Explain the fundamental principles of cell-mediated immunity including antigen-recognition, and T cell responses.          
  • Discuss the effector mechanisms of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the eradication of intracellular microbes including viruses
  • Discuss the effector mechanisms of antibodies and complement proteins in the eradication of extracellular microbes.
  • Review the overall immune responses to microbial infections by integrating the concepts of both innate and adaptive immune systems.           
  • Discuss the fundamental principles of vaccine production and their use including vaccine regulations, vaccine failures and adverse reactions.
  • Describe the fundamental principles of mucosal and neonatal immunity including maternal immunity and its impact on vaccination.    
  • Conceptualize the immune defense mechanisms of invertebrates in relation to vertebrates; and contrast the immune systems of fish and birds with that of mammals.
  • Discuss the fundamental principles of immune tolerance, and autoimmunity; the factors that trigger autoimmune diseases, and the mechanistic basis for the occurrence of autoimmune diseases.  
  • Describe immune responses to tumors and transplants and the immunological strategies being used to treat tumors, and transplant-rejections.           
  • Discuss the immunological basis of various hypersensitivity diseases including their diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.
  • Compare and contrast primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, and the impact of these deficiencies on disease susceptibility.               
  • Discuss the principles of commonly used immunodiagnostic tests in veterinary immunology.
  • Discuss how the immune system can be manipulated to treat various disease conditions, in particular, where the immune-mediated damage is suspected, and how the immune system can be artificially suppressed in such conditions.
  • Discuss the integrated view of immunology as a whole by conceptualizing various immunological concepts in health and disease.