BMS 8832 Immunology and Infectious Diseases
This course will cover the basic methods and fundamental topics regarding host-microbe interactions. Students will learn about events that shape the immune response; the general biology of pathogens and the mechanisms by which they cause disease. The first part of the course will examine the regulation of the cellular components of the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, discuss how the immune response is carefully orchestrated to eliminate foreign pathogens without destroying healthy cells, and how the immune response can be manipulated to enhance protection against pathogens, prevent autoimmunity, and eliminate tumors. This will be followed by a broad introduction into microbes in health and disease, microbial evolution and molecular mechanisms of disease, and the manipulation of the immune response by microbes. The concept of good microbes will also be discussed. The course content will include an overview of commonly used methods in immunology and infectious diseases.