Qualification objectives

Lecture:

After attending the lecture, students know the structure, the most important components and modes of action of the mammalian immune system. Students will know how these components interact to maintain a functioning immune system in the organism as a whole and will also be familiar with the latest research findings.

Internship:

Students carry out a research project in the participating working groups as agreed. They will apply methods they have already learned in the fields of omics technology (proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, glycomics, genomics) and imaging and learn new methods presented in the lecture, such as "data-intensive" fields of current infection biology, e.g. antigen receptor repertoires by high-throughput sequencing, multiparameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. You will be able to record and critically assess the results obtained.

Competencies

In the course, students acquire the competence to correctly understand and interpret central concepts as well as current research results in the field of immunology. This is also illustrated and practiced using examples of infection and the corresponding immune response. After attending the lecture, students are also prepared for the internship by being familiar with the theoretical foundations and possible applications of immunological examination techniques, some of which are used in the internship. The skills to be acquired are the basic prerequisite for scientific work and publishing. After successfully completing the module, students will be able to organize and plan experimental procedures. Students learn about the possibilities and limitations of the working techniques used in direct experimental work. The theoretical knowledge, individual supervision during the internship and practical experience gained in the laboratory form the basis for students to be able to prepare a protocol that not only describes the exact procedure and results of the experiments, but also contains a scientifically correct discussion. This gives students the competence to critically scrutinize their experiments and results and to place them in an adequate theoretical framework within the current literature.