MBV9250 – Basic immunology and immunological techniques
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course gives an understanding of the basic principles of immunology and an introduction to methods used in immunological research. It is taught over a period of 3 weeks.
During the first week a series of lectures give an introduction to the immune system. Structure, function and regulation of the different molecules of the immune system are described. Furthermore, B cells, T cells, NK cells as well as antigen presenting cells will be presented. Finally, lymphoid organs, cell collaboration and immunological tolerance are discussed. The second and third week are dedicated to practical laboratory work, demonstrations and seminarswhere students individually presents a relevant field of reaserch based on selected litterature.
Learning outcome
After completing the course you will:
- have a good knowledge of the basis for the diversity of the adaptive immune system as well as the structure and binding properties of antibodies and the T cell receptor
- know the innate immune system and how the innate and adaptive immun system collaborate to fight infections
- have a good understanding of antigen presentation
- know how B and T cells develop and exert their function
- can independently design, plan and carry out different ELISA and Western blots and have a good theoretical knowledge of methods like FLOW cytometry, surface plasmon resonance, monoclonal antibody technology, phage display, generation and use of transgenic mice as well as V sequence analysis using the IMGT database
- gain in depth knowlegde of a relevant field of immunological reaserch and critically discuss this with the group.
Admission
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting student within a given deadline.
The courses MBV4250 and MBV9250 have common admission. Applicants are ranked by the following criteria:
1. PhD candidates and master students at the MN faculty who have the course as part of the approved curriculum.
2. Other PhD candidates and visiting PhD candidates.
3. Students with admission to single courses on master’s level and exchange students
4. Applicants are ranked by credits in each group; all applicants within 1st rank before applicants in 2nd etc. If admission is limited to a fixed number of participants, admission will be decided by drawing lots for students who are ranked equally
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor degree in molecular biology / biochemistry and/or admission to master program in Molecular bioscience or equivalent background,
MBV3010 – Advanced cell biology (continued), MBV4010 – Methods in molecular biology and biochemistry I (continued), MBV4020 – Methods in molecular biology and biochemistry II (continued) or corresponding knowledge
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with MBV4250 – Basic immunology and immunological techniques (discontinued)
Teaching
The course format will be lectures, colloquia, demonstrations and laboratory exercises.
Examination
Three hours written exam apr. two weeks after the end of the course.
A lecture presented for the group where results from one or more scientific papers are described and discussed, must be approved to qualify for the final exam.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.