93272 - Advanced Immunology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the classes, the student will know about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the functioning of the immune system, how do they change in aging and diseases, as well as the main techniques to study them. The student will also know state-of-the-art possibilities to deploy immune activities for therapeutic purposes. In particular, the student will know about: i) the genetic strategies that allow the diversification of the immune responses to antigens; ii) the generation and use of monoclonal antibodies; iii) immunosuppression strategies; iv) generation of chimeric antigen receptors.

Course contents

• Receptors of the natural Immunity: TLR, NLR and inflammasomes, cGAS-Sting, RLR, etc. Connection with inflammation. PAMP and DAMP. Regional Immunity. Interactions between immune cells and gut microbiota.
• Structure, function and genetics of NK receptors. Memory of the innate immunity: trained immunity.
• Organization of genetic loci for antibodies and TCR. Generation of receptor repertoire: mechanisms of combinatorial differentiation (somatic recombination), and junctional differentiation.
• Activation of B and T cells. Molecular mechanisms of the isotypic switch; affinity increase and somatic hypermutation.
• Synthesis of monoclonal antibodies. Applications of monoclonal antibodies in biomedical research, diagnostics and clinic practice.
• Single-cell analytical methods. Principles of Flow cytometry and Cell sorting.
• Nomenclature CD. Phenotyping the immune cells with flow cytometry. CAR-T cells: generation and use.
• Organization of MHC genetic locus. Polymorphism of MHC genes. Genes for MHC I, II and III. HLA genotyping. Antigen presentation on MHC class I or II molecules. MHC in diagnostics: the tetramers. Macroautophagy and chaperon-mediated autophagy: importance for the immune responses.
• Tolerance breakdown. Autoimmunity. Immunopathology: classification of hypersensitivities. Allergies: features and pathogeneic mechanisms; Type II, III and IV hypersensitivities.
• Congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies. SCID and other immunodeficiencies of lymphocyte maturation. Innate immunity Immunodeficiencies. Acquired Immunodeficiencies due to immunosuppression, chemotherapy, malnutrition, viral infections. HIV and AIDS.
• Cancer Immunology: immunological features of tumors. Cancer Antigens. Cancer Immunotherapy: monoclonal Abs. Anti-PD-1 and PD-L1.
• Aging of the immune system: immunosenescence and inflammaging. Cell senescence and SASP: the role in human aging and age-related diseases. Inflammaging. Senolytic therapies.
• Immunological biomarkers of age. DNA methylation clocks.

Readings/Bibliography

Murphy & Weaver, Janeway’s Immunobiology, 9th Edition, Garland Sciences.

Abbas, Lichtman, Pillai: Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 7th Edition, Elsevier-Masson.

Teaching methods

frontal lectures

Assessment methods

At the end of the Course, an exam will verify the level of knowledge of the arguments of the Course content. The exam consists in an oral individual test.

Grading procedure:

- knowledge of a very limited number of topics and limited analytical capacity → 18-19 out of 30;

- knowledge of a limited number of topics and basic analytical capacity → 20-24 out of 30;

- knowledge of a consistent number of topics and good analytical capacity → 25-29 out of 30;

- knowledge of all topics and very good analytical capacity → 30-30L out of 30.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

power point or pdf files

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Salvioli