BBCCT-127 : Immunology

Immunology is an important branch of the medical and biological sciences. It has now become a part of undergraduate and postgraduate course of Biochemistry. The course is designed to cater to students of several branches of science such as biology, life science, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, molecular biology and others. The study of the immune system is called Immunology. The immune system protects us from infection through several lines of defense. This defense system protects us against invading foreign molecules or in other words deals with the response of an organism to antigenic challenge and its recognition of what is self and what is not. The defense mechanism includes all physical, chemical and biological properties of the organism that help it to combat its susceptibility to foreign organism.

After studying this course you should be able to:

• trace the course of development of the field of immunology;

• explain an overview of the immune system;

• enlist the various innate immunity barriers;

• describe complement system and list its functions;

• distinguish between innate and adaptive immune system;

• discuss the structure and properties of antigen;

• differentiate between humoral and cell-mediated immunity;

• explain B and T lymphocytes;

• realize the possible mechanisms of induction of autoimmunity and organ and systemic autoimmune diseases; and

• discuss the Immunological basis of graft rejection and clinical manifestations of graft rejection.