Admission requirements
Core course in MSc Life Science and Technology, elective course in MSc Chemistry
For students with a BSc MST, LST, BFW or equivalent. The students are expected to have a background in biochemistry, basic cell biology and organic synthesis. Prior to the start of the course, the students will need to read the first six chapters of ‘Janeway’s Immunobiology’ to ensure a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of immunology. This material can be part of the final exam.
Description
The course introduces to the recent therapeutic advances that have emerged from the controlled manipulation of the immune system. Advances in the field of cancer-immunotherapy, auto-immune treatment, cell-based therapies, and modern vaccinology will be discussed, as well as recent development in the use of antibodies to treat disease, including their production, chemical modification to attach drugs and other cargos, and some biotechnology to make them better. These techniques will all be explained against the backdrop of the recent immunological literature. Overall, the aim of the course is to make students familiar with the most recent immune-based therapies from a molecular perspective. Due to the very fast moving nature of the field, the course will be taught as a combination of lectures as well as the discussion of recent literature. The student is expected to develop the ability to critically assess primary literature sources.
Course objectives
At the end of the course students
Will have knowledge of fundamental principles of immunology, both from the Immunobiology Textbook, as from the fundamental techniques that underpin the methods discussed;
Will have knowledge of antibody therapeutic production, methods of action and applications of these therapeutic agents;
Will have knowledge of antibody-based, cell-based and vaccine-based cancer immune therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors, T-cell therapies, chimaeric T-cells, and personalised cancer vaccines;
Will have knowledge of the essential components of both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines;
Will have developed the ability to read and assess primary chemical immunology literature and extract the core information on the nature and efficacy from this literature.
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have sucessfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
Mode of instruction
The course will be taught through a series of live lectures followed by a tutorial session for which a set of questions will have to be made each week. These questions are an obligatory part of the course and not doing them before the tutorials will mean exclusion from the final exam. None of the lectures or tutorials will be made in recorded format.
Assessment method
Final written exam (100%)
Reading list
The course is based on the following book: ‘Janeway’s immunobiology’, 10th edition. Norton Publisher.
Slides/videos presented during the courses
Articles discussed and cited during the course
Question sets and their associated answers.
Registration
Every student has to register for courses with the enrollment tool MyStudyMap. There are two registration periods per year: registration for the fall semester opens in July and registration for the spring semester opens in December. Please see this page for more information.
Please note that it is compulsory to register your participation for every exam and retake. Not being registered for a course means that you are not allowed to participate in the final exam of the course.
Extensive FAQ's on MyStudymap can be found here.
Contact
Remarks
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.