Duration
34h Th, 8h Pr
Number of credits
| Bachelor in veterinary medicine | 4 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
General objectives:
The BAC3's course aims to provide fundamental knowledge in immunology, offering the essential foundations for understanding the mechanisms that regulate the immune system in a health context. providing essential knowledge for understanding the mechanisms that regulate the immune system in a health context. It also seeks to equip students with the critical insights needed to comprehend immune dysfunctions that give rise to immunopathologies, which will be explored in greater detail at the master's level. The course is structured around ex cathedra lectures, complemented by tutorials and practical sessions conducted in small groups.
The ex cathedra lectures are divided into various chapters, within which certain essential information will be repeated to reinforce learning while gradually introducing the complexity that characterizes the immune system. The immune system cannot be compartmentalized into isolated sections. Thus, by the end of the course, students are expected to have acquired a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary understanding of the immune system.
Table of Contents:
The chapters covered will include the following aspects:
- Introduction, history, and an overview of the importance of immunology
- Basic concepts of immunology: cells, tissues/organs, and soluble molecules
- Innate immunity: barriers/complement system/receptors/innate cells/the interface between innate and adaptive immunity
- Adaptive immunity: BCR and TCR (structure and formation) and antigen recognition
- Activation and effector functions of B and T lymphocytes
- Immune memory
- Development of B and T cells: tolerance and autoimmunity
- Integrated dynamics of innate and adaptive immunity
- Failures of the immune system: immune evasion and immunodeficiencies
- Anti-cancer immunity
- Manipulation of the immune system: clinical applications and introduction to research.
Tutorials and practical sessions are organized into four 2-hour sessions, taking place over the course of one week. These sessions are scheduled with a delay relative to the lecture hall courses, allowing students time to absorb the concepts introduced in the initial classes.
It is CRUCIAL to have a solid integration of the fundamental concepts from the theoretical course. These concepts serve as essential prerequisites for the effective participation in the sessions and to ensure students gain meaningful benefits.
An evaluation, worth 2/20 of the overall grade, will be organized at the end of the week, with the specific details provided at the beginning of the week.
The final evaluation (worth 18/20) will consist of extended open-ended questions covering the material taught during the ex cathedra lectures.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The BAC3 program aims to integrate the foundational knowledge necessary for understanding the immune system in both health and disease contexts.
Additionally, by the end of the course, students should have acquired a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary understanding of the immune system.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Anatomy, Histology, Basics of Infectiology, Molecular Genetics
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The practical sessions are organized as active discussions, practical exercises, and guided activities, totaling 8 hours per group of students. During these sessions, students are required to comply with biosafety regulations and basic conduct guidelines. An evaluation will be organized at the end of the practical sessions.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Theoritical courses in auditorium
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
- MyULiège
Further information:
Slides of the lectures available on MyULiege. Podcasts will also be made available
Janeway Immunobiology, 4th French edition, deboek edition, 2018. Paper and online versions available from the FMV library.
Kuby immunology; Eighth Edition (most recent English version) or, the 2013 French version (available from the FMV library in online and paper versions).
Written exam
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Bénédicte Machiels
bmachiels@uliege.be