In keeping with the Dublin Descriptors for Master’s awards, the aim of Course is to provide a basis or opportunity to demonstrate (by Students):

- Knowledge and understanding: Originality in developing or applying ideas concerning the activities of the immune system, often in a Molecular Pathology research context or in professional occupations related to the biomedical field;

- Applying knowledge and understanding: Problem solving abilities [applied] in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to molecular immunology and immunotherapy;

- Making judgements: Ability to integrate knowledge related to the involvement of the immune system in human diseases, the potential of immunotherapy in human diseases and handle complexity, formulate judgements with incomplete data;

- Communication skills: Their conclusions and the underpinning knowledge and rationale about the involvement of the immune system in human diseases, the potential of immunotherapy in human diseases to specialist and non-specialist audiences;

- Learning skills: Ability to study the involvement of the immune system in human diseases, the potential of immunotherapy in human diseases in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous.

Basic knowledge of Immunology, Pathology, microbiology

- General aspects of the immune system and immune response
- Antibodies / monoclonal antibodies / recombinant antibodies / human antibodies in diagnosis and for therapeutic purpose
- Immune system and cancer / Cancer immunotherapy
- Hypersensitivity and therapeutic neutralization of the immune system
- Immunodeficiencies and therapies
- Vaccines
- transplantation: role of the immune system and therapeutic prevention of its activation

- SLIDES / Journal articles
- Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Abbas, Elsevier

- General aspects of the immune system and immune response both in physiological and pathological conditions.
- Development and characterization of polyclonal antibodies / monoclonal antibodies / recombinant antibodies / human antibodies and their use in diagnosis and for therapeutic purpose
- Role of the immune system in cancer development.
- Cancer immunotherapy, including antibody-based immunotherapy, vaccines, cellular immunotherapy, CAR-T cells.
- Hypersensitivity as description of pathological immune response and neutralization of the immune system as approach for the prevention or the therapy of diseases.
- Immunodeficiencies and therapies to restore immune system activity
- Vaccines as preventive approach against infection
- Blood transfusion, bone marrow transplantation and solid organ transplantation: role of the immune system and therapeutic prevention of its activation

Frontal lessons, seminars and discussion of scientific articles with active work of the students.
The ppt files are thereafter made available to the students. Students are invited to participate to the lectures for a fruitful interaction with the lecturer, who is also available to receive them individually for clarifications.

Paolo Macor - Dept of Life Sciences, University of Trieste - Q building - Room 301 - pmacor@units.it

The learning assessment will be conducted through multiple-choice quizzes (MCQs) aimed at assessing the acquisition of knowledge on the course content, including their essential medical terminology correlates.

The questionnaires will consist of 31 MCQs with one or two correct answers. Each question with a complete correct answer corresponds to 1 points, and no penalties will be applied for wrong answers. The sum corresponds to the final grade (with 31/30 = 30 cum laude).

The evaluation, expressed in thirtieths, will take into account the test results, and the module exam will be considered passed if the student achieves a final grade of at least 18/30.

This course explores topics closely related to one or more goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)