Immunology in health and disease

The immune system has a central role in many aspects of health and disease in both humans and animals. While the immune system is critical for protecting us from pathogens, it also has an important role in cancer surveillance and is the reason why tissue transplantation is difficult to achieve. Many debilitating conditions such as allergy and autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis are caused by the immune system. This unit progresses from IMM2011 which focused on the development, structure and function of the immune system to now, in IMM2022, examining the broad role of the immune system in a range of disease and health states. By selecting a range of real life examples, we can not only examine the nature of how the immune system is actively involved  but also broaden our understanding of social and ethical implications and the role that medical research has in improving health outcomes. This unit will give you the opportunity to learn how immunology is important in many aspects of our society while developing and reinforcing a range of academic skills through defined teaching and assessment tasks.