Immunity and Aging is an elective course designed for medical students in their third year of study. This course explores the impact of aging on the immune system and its associated effects. The course is structured with a combination of lectures, seminars, and practical laboratory sessions, totaling 26 hours of instruction (equivalent to 1.5 ECTS credits). Attendance in all types of classes is required.
Number of students:
To maintain the quality of practical courses, the number of students who can participate in the course should be no more than 15.
The goal of the course:
This course provides theoretical knowledge about how the immune system changes as people age and the impact of these changes on health. It also equips students with the skills needed to effectively analyze immune cells using flow cytometry and understand how immune cells change with aging.
Course content:
We will explore how the innate and adaptive immune responses change as people get older and the factors influencing these changes. The role of herpesviruses, particularly cytomegalovirus, in the aging of the immune system, as well as the unique characteristics of the immune response to cytomegalovirus infection will be presented. We'll examine the primary reasons and mechanisms behind reduced vaccination effectiveness in older individuals. We'll analyze what factors influence the immune response to pathogens and tumors as people age. Finally, we'll study immune cell analysis in the peripheral blood of older and younger donors or mice to gain insights into age-related differences.
Students obligations:
The Immunity and Aging course consists of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions. The class schedule can be found on the Teams group of the course and the Center for Proteomics website. Lectures and seminars will take place in designated lecture halls as per the schedule. Laboratory tasks will be conducted in the dedicated laboratory of the Department for Histology and Embryology/Center for Proteomics, following the provided schedule.
Attendance will be closely monitored for all students throughout the course. It's important to note that classes will start precisely as scheduled, so arriving late will be considered as an absence. Additionally, students are expected to come prepared for seminars.