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Milestones in Immunology
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:13:17
Abstract
Milestones in Immunology: on old concepts and modern experiments
Objective
This course will deliver knowledge on history and theory of immunological research. Studying of the "classical" literature on Immunology of the 20th century will help to develop a better understanding of current concepts in Immunology. Thus, textbook knowledge will be complemented by the most exciting contemporary original experiments.
Content
- On the deep impact of "horror autotoxicus" (Paul Ehrlich and his disciples) - Self or non-self - and who invented it? (Burnet, and Medawar) - Interference and pattern recognition (Isaacs&Lindenmann, Janeway, Beutler) - Epistemology in simple words: altered self and missing self (Zinkernagel/Doherty and Kärre) - On idiotypes and other regulators (Jerne, Gershon, and Sakaguchi)
Resources
Lecture Notes
Original and review articles will be distributed by the lecturer.
Literature
Horror Autotoxicus Ehrlich, P. (1901). Die Schutzstoffe des Blutes. Dtsch. Med. Wschr. 27:913-916 Ehrlich, P. (1900). On immunity with special reference to cell life. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 66:424-448 Donath/Landsteiner (1904) Ueber paroxysmale Hämoglobinurie. Münch Med Wochenschr. 51:1590-1593. Kabat EA, Wolfe A, Bezer AE (1947): The rapid production of acute encephalomyelitis in Rhesus monkeys by injection of heterologous and homologous brain tissue with adjuvants. J Exp Med 1947;85:117–130 Self or non-self Owen RD: Immunogenetic consequences of vascular anastomoses between bovine twins. Science 1945;102:400–401 Billingham RE, Brent L, Medawar PB: ACTIVELY ACQUIRED TOLERANCE’ OF FOREIGN CELLS. Nature 1953;172:603–606 Jerne NK: The natural selection theory of antibody formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1955;41: 849–857 Burnet FM: A modification of Jerne’s theory of antibody production using the concept of clonal selection. Austral J Sci 1957;20:67–69 Interferon and TLRs A. ISAACS AND J. LINDENMANN. Virus Interference. I. The Interferon. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 147:258–267. Torrence PF, Friedman RM. Are double-stranded RNA-directed inhibition of protein synthesis in interferon-treated cells and interferon induction related phenomena? J Biol Chem. 1979 Feb 25;254(4):1259-67. CA Janeway. Approaching the asymptote? Evolution and revolution in immunology. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1989;54 Pt 1:1-13 Poltorak A, He X, Smirnova I, Liu MY, Van Huffel C, Du X, Birdwell D, Alejos E, Silva M, Galanos C, Freudenberg M, Ricciardi-Castagnoli P, Layton B, Beutler B. Defective LPS signaling in C3H/HeJ and C57BL/10ScCr mice: mutations in Tlr4 gene. Science. 1998 Dec 11; 282(5396):2085-8. Altered self and missing self Zinkernagel and Doherty, Immunological surveillance against altered self-components by sensitised T lymphocytes in lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Nature 251: 547–548 (1974). Bevan , MJ. The major histocompatibility complex determines susceptibility to cytotoxic T cells directed against minor histocompatibility antigens The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1975, 142: 1349–1364 Karre K, Ljunggren HG, Piontek G, Kiessling R. Selective rejection of H-2-deficient lymphoma variants suggests alternative immune defence strategy. Nature 319: 675–678 (1986). Regulation Jerne NK, Roland J, Cazenave PA. Recurrent idiotopes and internal images. EMBO J. 1982;1(2):243-7. Hu SK, Eardley DD, Cantor H, Gershon RK Definition of two pathways for generation of suppressor T-cell activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jun;80(12):3779-81. Sakaguchi S, Sakaguchi N, Asano M, Itoh M, Toda M. Immunologic self-tolerance maintained by activated T cells expressing IL-2 receptor alpha-chains (CD25). Breakdown of a single mechanism of self-tolerance causes various autoimmune diseases.J Immunol. 1995 Aug 1;155(3):1151-64.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar |
Milestones in Immunology
Course has 2 hrs per week, every 2nd week.
|
|
1 h weekly |