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Unit of Study MEDC2001 - Immunology (2023)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Unit type

    UG Coursework Unit

  • Credit points

    12

  • Faculty/College

    Faculty of Health

  • Placement

    No

  • Enrolment information

    This unit contains laboratory activities that require students to meet mandatory vaccination compliance requirements prior to attending. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in you being unable to undertake the stipulated Laboratory Activity which may result in failure of the unit. As some vaccination protocols can take up to 5 months to complete, we encourage you to prepare now. Compliance requirements include SCU Vaccination requirements in accordance with state Health policies: NSW Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases; and QLD Health Vaccination Requirements. SCU has incorporated a combined NSW and QLD vaccination procedure as students may need to attend laboratory classes in both states. Full details are available at www.scu.edu.au/healthplacements.

Unit description

Extends students' knowledge of the immune system, including concepts of innate and acquired immune responses and how specificity, diversity, memory and tolerance develop. Students gain an understanding of various types of immune functions and dysfunctions, and explore these in laboratory investigations. Herein, students learn how to generate, analyse and interpret immunological data to support the clinical diagnostic process.  

Unit content

  1. Foundation concepts of the immune system, including communication, integration and innate and adaptive immunity
  2. Organisation, expression and function of the complement system and immune receptors, including B cell receptors, antibody, T cell receptors and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
  3. Humoral and cellular immunity, including B and T cell development, activation, differentiation and memory, with an understanding of the regulation involved
  4. Immune responses to infectious diseases, and an overview of vaccine development
  5. The development of tolerance with the microbiome, and the importance of immune tolerance in tissue transplantation
  6. Overactive and underactive immune system dysfunctions, including allergy, hypersensitivity, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity and immunodeficiency

 

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Gold Coast
Term3
Term3

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

summarise and compare immune system development, innate and adaptive immunity, and the generation of immune memory and tolerance

compare immune cell activation, differentiation and effector responses, including the influence different antigens have on these processes, and on vaccine development

participate with proficiency in a group setting to investigate dysfunctions of the immune system

generate, analyse and interpret experimental immunological data to solve scientific problems in the biomedical setting, individually and in collaboration

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.
Prescribed Resources/Equipment

  • Betts, J.G., Young, K.A., Wise, J.A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D.H., Korol, O., Johnson, J.E., Womble, M., & DeSaix, P., Anatomy and Physiology, 2nd ed., OpenStax, Apr 20, 2022, Houston, Texas, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/21-introduction

     

  • The following items must be purchased and students must use them at each laboratory class:

    • Shoes – fully enclosed non-absorbent shoes made from leather, rubber or vinyl. Shoes must have a sturdy sole and fully covered heel, sides, top of foot and toes. If you are unsure of appropriate footwear please see further information on the Lab Safety video available on the Blackboard site or you can check with Lab technical staff on campus.
    • Safety glasses – available at Co-op Bookshop. Safety glasses must be worn when performing experiments that involve the use of chemicals or bodily fluids. If you wear prescription glasses, you must purchase safety glasses that fit over your prescription glasses.
    • A scientific calculator will also be required.
    • A plastic-covered notebook for collecting and writing up experimental data.
    • A plastic display folder with plastic sleeves to store/display laboratory manual. These last two items must be impermeable (i.e. plastic) in order to be decontaminated before leaving the laboratory.

    A laboratory manual is provided for laboratory classes. Gloves and laboratory coats are provided and must be worn during laboratory activities. Students must watch the Lab Safety video, and the PC2 Lab Safety video available on the Blackboard site, and obtain 100% on each quiz relevant to each video. Students who do not meet the OH&S requirements will not be admitted to the laboratory.

     

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.