IMUN 609 - Vaccines and Immune Therapeutics

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

David Weiner, Ph.D., and Paul Offit, M.D. Prerequisite(s): The course is intended for graduate students or Medical Students in various MS, Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. programs on the campus as well as local scientists and professionals in the community. As a prerequisite students should have taken biology, biochemistry or immunology courses at the advanced college level. The goal of the Vaccines course is to expand on student s general understanding of the immune system and to focus this understanding towards the application of vaccination. Furthermore the course will give the student a sense of how these principles are applied to vaccine and immune therapeutic development. The course covers basic science as well as the Clinical, Ethical & Political implications of Modern Vaccines. Initial lectures will review immune mechanisms believed to be responsible for vaccine induced protection from disease. Subsequent lectures build on this background to explore the science of vaccines for diverse pathogens, including agents of bioterrorism as well as vaccines for cancer. An appreciation for the application of laboratory science to the clinical development of vaccines is provided in the next section of the course along with lectures that focus on the ethical implications of vaccines in different situations. The financial implications of specific vaccines and their impact on the global community, is a specific focus of the course. The course is lecture style and will have a required reading list prepared in advance to provide the students background for the specific topic. Students will be graded by course participation as well as by a final written exam. The course is intended for graduate students or Medical Students in various MS, Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. programs on the campus as well as local scientists and professionals in the community. As a prerequisite students should have taken biology, biochemistry or immunology courses at the advanced college level. A final project will be graded from all students. The final project is to propose in a written report a vaccine strategy for a current pathogen of importance that does not as yet have an effective vaccine. Strategies used should build on the material presented in the class lectures. The details of the final paper will be further discussed in class.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.