28 November – 2 December

 

This one-week course will help you to understand the basics of human immunology. You will learn what our immune system is: an intricate, highly integrated system that plays a key role in organismal homeostasis, by combating pathogens and maintaining the body integrity. The emphasis will be made on conceptual understanding of the immune system and its functioning rather than catalogue knowledge.

 

Aims of the course:

  • To introduce the participants to the basics of human immunology
  • To define the main problems and research direction in the current field of human immunology
  • To introduce the participants to the research that is performed on immunology and microbiology at GIGA and FARAH

 

Topics covered include the composition of immune system, the contribution of the immune system to organismal homeostasis. You will learn how is the immune response coordinated and how a deregulated immune system is driving disease.

 

By the end of this course the participants should be able to:

  • Describe the main cell types of immune system, their function and development steps
  • Describe the main type of immune responses and name the main cells involved
  • Compare innate, trained and adaptive immunity
  • Explain the current immunological theories
  • Describe different vaccinations and how they work and argue about the development of new vaccines for different disorders
  • Describe the anti and pro cancer activities of the immune system and discuss the existing anticancer therapies
  • Explain transplantation and discuss the problems that may occur at transplantation
  • Describe autoimmune disorders
  • Discuss allergic reaction of the organism
  • Describe the connection of immune system with general metabolism

 

Target group: PhD candidates in the 1st and 2nd year of their PhD. The group is limited to 20 participants.

 

Prerequisites: This workshop has no prerequisites other than working knowledge of English.

 

Location: GIGA B34 +5, Ghuysen room

 

Educators:

Christophe Desmet (course coordinator), Nathalie Jacobs, Sylvie Legrand, Thomas Marichal, Frederic Baron, Cathrine Sadzot (GIGA –I3); Souad Rahmouni (GIGA-Medical Genomics); Benjamin Dewals, Mutien Garigliany, Benedecte Machiels, Laurent Gillet, Alain Vanderplasschen (FARAH).

 

The course schedule:
 
Day 1. 28th November

The actors: Organs and cells of the immune system

9:00 - 9:30        Course introduction. Goals, strategy and policies of the course (C. Desmet)
9:30 - 10:30      Developmental origin of immune cells (C. Desmet)
10:45 - 11:45    Innate immune cells (C. Desmet)
11:45 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Innate Lymphoid cells (L. Gillet)
14:15 - 15:15    The thymus and T lymphocytes. (V.Geenen ) 
15:30 - 16:00    Q&A
16:00 - 17:00    Self study
 
Day 2. 29th November

Immune responses: Training of the innate immune system by microorganisms and parasites

09:00 - 10:30    Different types of immune responses (N. Jacobs)
10:45 - 11:45    Detection and management of emerging pathogenic agents. (M. Garigliany)
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 14:00    Introduction to trained immunity (B. Machiels)
14:15 - 15:15    Defining trained immunity and its role in health and disease (B. Machiels)
15:30 - 16:30    Unconventional memory T cells: from innate to virtual memory (B. Dewals)

Day 3. 30th November

10:30 - 11:00    Vaccines. General principles of development and implementations (C. Desmet)
11:00 - 12:00    Vaccines agains COVID-19. Group work.
12:00 - 13:00    Lunch break
13:00 - 15:15    Cancer Immunology. Theory and discussions with the course participants (N. Jacobs)
15:30 - 16:30    Viruses as therapeutic agents against cancer (C Sadzot)
16:30 - 17:00    Self study. Group work

Day 4. 1st December

9:30 - 11:45      Transplantation immunology. Theory and discussions with the participants (F. Baron)
11:45 - 13:00    Lunch break
15:15 - 16:15    The virus, the fish and the firefly: illustration of the potential of in vivo Imaging systems for the study of host-pathogen interactions (A. Vanderplasschen)
15:00 - 17:00    Self study. Group work
 
Day 5. 2nd December

Immunometabolism and Mucosal diseases

9:15 - 9:30         Previous day summary presented by the participants
9:30 - 11:45       Immunometabolism. Theory and discussions with the participants (S. Legrand)
11:45 - 13:00     Lunch break
13:00 - 14:30     Self study. Group work
14:30 - 15:30     Gut Immunity  (S. Rahmouni)
15:30 - 17:00     Presentation group work
17:00 - 17:15     Conclusion

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