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Immunopathology

Code: 101929
Credits: 3
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Biomedical Sciences OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Juan Francisco Delgado De la Poza
Email :
juanfrancisco.delgado@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Víctor Jiménez Coll
Marta Vives Pi
Oscar de la Calle Martin
Juan Francisco Delgado De la Poza
Eva Maria Martinez Caceres
Manuel Hernandez Gonzalez
Andrés Baucells De la Peña
Aina Teniente Serra
Germán Julia Agullo
Anais Mariscal Rodriguez
Federico Fondelli
Maria Esther Moga Naranjo
Mónica Martinez Gallo
Laura Viñas Gimenez
Maria Teresa Sanz Martinez
Janire Perurena Prieto

Teaching staff (external to UAB)

Bibiana Quirant Sanchez
María Iglesias Escudero
Teresa Franco Leyva
Joan Climent Martí

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

It is absolutely necessary to have adequeate knowledge of: 

Cell Biology

Structure and Function of Biomolecules (Biochemistry I)

Human anatomy

Experimental methods in Biomedicine 

Metabolism of Biomolecules (Biochemistry II)

Basic Immunology

Objectives

1) To learn the role of the immune system in the following pathological processes:

  • a. Infections
  • b. Allergies and hypersensitivity disorders.
  • c. Autoimmune diseases
  • d. Primary and secondary immunodeficiencies
  • e. Neoplasms and paraneoplastic diseases. Anti-tumor response
  • f. Transplantation, rejection and graft versus host disease

2) To be familiar, understand and interpret diagnostic tests and studies that have clinical value for immune-mediated diseases.

3) To understand the mechanisms of action of immunology-based therapies, i.e., vaccines, immunosuppressive drugs, immunoglobulins, monoclonal antibodies, cytokines and cellular immunotherapy.

 

Learning outcomes

  1. Describe the principal mechanisms by which the immune system participates in pathology: immunodeficiencies, hypersensitivity, autoimmunity.
  2. Identify the principal elements intervening in the immune response to infections and tumours, and in the situation of allogeneic transplant.
  3. Display practical skills in performing a diagnostic analysis in immunopathology.
  4. Understand the scientific literature and the databases specialising in problems of immunology and immunopathology, and interpret the results of a scientific project.

Contents

Immunopathology: a) the immune system as a cause of disease, main mechanisms; b) the immune system for the cure of diseases, main immunology-based therapies


Organized by Teaching Units (TU)


 


TU1. Immune response and disease


Lectures


1 - Immune response in infectious diseases I. General aspects of the immune response and response to viral infections.


2 - Immune response in infectious diseases II. Immune response to bacteria, protozoa, fungi and helminthes. Emerging infections.


3 - Tolerance and autoimmunity. Concept of tolerance to self-antigens. General mechanisms of T cell and B-cell Tolerance. Sequestered antigens. Tolerance failures and disease.


4 - Autoimmunity. Concept. Epidemiology and classification. Main autoimmune diseases. Etiology. Mechanisms of tissue damage. Hypothesis of the multiple check-points.


5 - Allergy. Concepts of allergy and atopy. Basic mechanisms. Main allergic diseases. Diagnosis of allergic diseases.


6 - Immunodeficiencies. Types of immunodeficiencies. Deficiencies of cellular immunity. Deficiencies of humoral immunity. Deficiencies of natural immunity. Other immunodeficiencies.


S1 Immunopathology Seminar 1: animal models of autoimmune diseases.


S2  Immunopathology Seminar 2: proliferations of cells of the immune system and disease, presentation of a case of myeloma and of lymphoma.


 


TU2. Immune responses in special clinical situations


Lectures


7 - Transplantation. Types of transplantation. Immunological basis of organs, tissue and cell transplantation. Clinical manifestations of rejection. Non-specific immunosuppressive treatments. Main forms of clinical transplant. Immune tolerance to transplant.


8 - AIDS: the epidemic. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  Mechanisms of infection. Natural history of the infection. The immune response to HIV. Perspectives for a vaccine.


9 - Tumor Immunology. Cancer biology and the immune response. Tumor antigens. How tumors avoid the immune response, concepts of immune surveillance and of immuno-editing. Immunotherapy of cancer, immunological check-points.


S3 Immunopathology Seminar 3:  The problem of histocompatibility and its approach in the HLA typing laboratory.


S4 Immunopathology Seminar 4: Approaches in the diagnosis of immunodeficiencies and discussion of paradigmatic cases.


 


 TU3. The laboratory of diagnostic immunology


S5 Immunopathology Seminar 5: The diagnostic process. The properties of the diagnostics tests, the test catalog. The quality system and regulations. Laboratory the accreditations. The laboratory of diagnostic immunology: contributions to disease prevention and diagnosis and treatment monitoring.


P1 Practical - demonstration 1: Diagnosis of plasma cell diseases in the laboratory. Demonstration of the techniques and interpretation of results.


P2 Practical - demonstration 2: Flow cytometry applied to diagnosis. Interpretation of the plots and results.


P3 Practical - demonstration 3: Use of indirect immunofluorescence (IFL) for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Interpretation of the most frequent IFL patterns and their correspondence with the antigens recognized by ELISA and immunoblot.


P4 Practical - demonstration 4: HLA typing, methodologies and the quest for the best kidney and hematopoietic stem cell donors.


 


TU4. Therapies based on immunology


Lectures


10 - Immunotherapy I. General concepts. Vaccines, serum therapy, intravenous immunoglobulins.


11 - Immunotherapy II. Cytokines and anti-cytokines. Cell therapies, from transfusion to advanced cell therapies. 


 

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Discussion Seminars 8 0.32
Master Classes 11 0.44
Demonstrations and laboratory practices 8 0.32 3, 4
Delivery of work in the Virtual Campus 2 0.08 3
Answer online questionnaires 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4
Individual study, consultation of the bibliography, preparation of the topics, resolution of the problems proposed by the professor and realization of works 39 1.56

This subject is based on the concepts, skills and attitudes acquired from the subject Immunology, previously studied during the second year.

The methodology combines:

1) Lectures within which questions to be answered by the whole class will be interspersed in individual ad hoc questionnaires, to encourage participation and constitute an element of continuous evaluation.

2) Seminars where topics that lend themselves to group learning and dialogue will be discussed on previously distributed material. Some seminars will consist of the discussion of paradigmatic clinical cases. At the end of the seminar a questionnaire will be delivered answering the questions that have been addressed during the seminar.

3) Practices - demonstration. The laboratories of clinical diagnosis of immunology are not suitable for practices, but the exhibition will combine the diagnostic problems addressed in these laboratories, followed by visits in which demonstrations of the most representative techniques of immunology will be carried out. At the end of the practice a questionnaire must be submitted answering the questions that have been addressed during the session.

 

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Delivery of work to the virtual campus 10 2 0.08 1, 2, 4
Answer online questionnaires 5 0.5 0.02 1, 2
Exam (Test-type questionnaire and short questions) 75 1.5 0.06 1, 2
Questionnaires for seminars and practices, including group work 10 2 0.08 3

Continuous assessment

The practices and seminars are mandatory: the questionnaires of practices and online will account for 25% of the grade of the subject.

The written evaluation consists of two tests: a questionnaire with multiple answers and one with conceptual questions. These two tests represent 40% and 35% of the grade to pass the course respectively and it is necessary that the mark of each one of the written tests is equal to or greater than 5. The grade of the continuous assessment will be added to the evaluations of the tests written only in the case of having overcome them.

Final evaluation and recovery

Students suspended per course (<5.0) or not presented will be eligible for recovery, provided they have approved practices and seminars. The recovery consists of a written essay test with two topics to develop and five conceptual questions and includes the subject of all the teaching units (including practices). The topics will be scored at 2.5 points and the short questions at 1.0. The grade to pass the subject is 5.


Oral Assessment

Exceptionally, the possibility of conducting an oral exam as an assessment method is contemplated in cases where there is a mutual agreement between the students and the teaching staff, or in situations arising from disciplinary proceedings.


The commission of any irregularity in an assessment activity (academic fraud, plagiarism, or misuse of AI, unless this use is expressly authorized in the teaching guide) that could lead to a significant variation in the grade, implies that this activity will be graded as a 0. In the event that the teaching guide stipulates that passing the course requires a minimum grade in this specific assessment activity, or if multiple irregularities occur across different assessment activities within the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0. Aside from this, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who commits any of these irregularities.

Single Assessment is not an option in this course

Bibliography

General bibliographyAbul K. Abbas, Andrew H. Lichtman, and Shiv Pillai. Cellular and Molecular Immunology: 9à edició. Elsevier Saunders, 2017. with online access for students; ISBN-13: 978-0323479783
Janeway's Immunobiology. 9th ed. Kenneth Murphy and Casey Weaver (Author) Garland Science, 2017, ISBN-13: 978-0815345053

Kuby - Immunology. 8a edició Ed. WH Freeman 2019.
Other texts of quality,Roitt's Essential Immunology, Peter J. Delves, Seamus J. Martin, Dennis R. Burton, Ivan M. Roitt Wiley-Bolcall, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1118415771Peter Parham; The Immune System, Garldand Science, 4th edition, 2014.Leonardo Fainboim and Jorge Geffner. Introduction to human immunology 6th edition, 2011.Query textsClinical Immunology, Principles and Practice. Robert R Rich. 5th edition of Mosby, 2018.Fundamental Immunology. WE. Paul. 7th edition (2012). Ed. Lippincot Villiams & Wilkins (for in-depth consultation).The sections devoted to Immunology in medical texts are also recommended:Internal Medicine. Farreras. 18th edition (2016). Ed. Elsevier.Specific bibliographyAutoantibodies, Third Edition - 2014, Yehuda Shoenfeld (Editor), Pier Luigi Meroni (Editor), M. Eric Gershwin MD (Editor)Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases: A Molecular & Cellular Approach. Hans D. Ochs, C. I. Edward Smith, Jennifer M. Puck. Oxford University Press, USA, 2013.ISBN-13: 978-0195389838
Magazines and Internet Resources (accessible through the UAB Online Library)Annual Review of Immunology
Nature Reviews in Immunology
Nature immunology
Science Immunology
Immunity
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyBloodClinical ImmunologyClinical and Experimental ImmunologyFederation of Clinical Immunology SocietiesFrontiers in immunologyJournal of AutommunityJournal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyTransplantationVideos on lineVon Adrian's laboratory

Software

Does not apply

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 53 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 201 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 201 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 301 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 301 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 302 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 302 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 501 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 501 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 611 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 651 Catalan first semester morning-mixed