Admission requirements
Sufficient knowledge of Immunology is required (comparable to the Immunology taught in the bachelor Biomedical Sciences).
Successful completion of How To Write A Research Proposal is strongly recommended.
Students who passed the half minor Immunotherapy of Cancer in BSc, are strongly disencouraged to follow the FOS course.
Description
Period: October 19 – Nov 13, 2015
The course will give detailed insight into clinical and research aspects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the use of donor T lymphocytes for treatment of hematological malignancies. Students will be introduced into different aspects by lectures given by experts in the field followed by self-study assignments, which will be discussed in workgroups. Students will be trained in critical reading of recently published research papers and will practice in oral presentations and participation in discussions on the self-study assignments. Students will attend patient demonstrations, visit the outpatient clinic as well as diagnostic and research laboratories of the department of Hematology.
Students will be introduced into the following aspects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation:
Normal hematopoiesis, hematological malignancies and their treatment modalities.
Transplantation of a donor derived immune system in a cancer patient (allo-immunity); the desired anti-tumor effect and undesired complications known as graft versus host disease.
The use and manipulation of donor T lymphocytes to treat hematological malignancies in transplanted patients.
Donor T lymphocytes recognizing polymorphic antigens in transplanted patients (allo-reactive T cells); characterization of allo-reactive T cells and their HLA-binding targets.
Interactions between leukemic cells and the immune system, donor selection and graft versus host disease.
Therapeutic antibodies to treat hematological malignancies in transplanted patients.
Development and clinical application of anti-tumor therapies; in vitro isolation and expansion of antigen specific T cells for adoptive transfer, T cell receptor gene transfer.
This course will particularly work on:
Research competences:
defining a research question, study-design, choice of appropriate techniques, integration of different biomedical disciplines, knowledge of literature and methods, interpretation of results.
Professional competences:
team-work; participation in discussions; use of language; clarity, consistency and transparency in presentations; knowledge of literature and application of this knowledge, developing creativity by combining different perspectives.
Course objectives
To get detailed insight into clinical and research aspects of:
allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as treatment modality for hematological malignancies
the use of cellular therapy to treat hematological malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Mode of instruction
Lectures, self-study assignments, work-groups
Assessment method
Students will be assessed for oral presentations, participations in discussions, newspaper article from a recent research article and a review written based on knowledge as acquired during the course.