Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LM Immunology and liver disease: applications of immunotherapy
School	Inst of Immunol + Immunoth
Department	Inst of Immunol + Immunoth
Module Code	02 39070
Module Lead	Nick Jones and Chris Weston
Level	Masters Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-25 hours Tutorial-5 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Immune mechanisms underlie many of the disorders that are seen in clinical practice, not least in hepatology and gastroenterology. These are areas of great research strength in Birmingham and are focussed around the MRC/UoB Centre for Immune Regulation and the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy. The module addresses specific topics that are of current interest in immunology including the anatomy of immune responses, inflammation, chemokine biology and regulatory networks. Recent developments and the underpinning basic science in hepatology and gastroenterology will be outlined. The use of immune cells and molecules to treat disease will be explored. The module aims to marry immune-mediated disease and immune based therapeutics in liver disease where there is a major clinical and academic strength at Birmingham. The teaching will encompass features of both basic and clinical research, extending and building on the teaching of these topics in the early years of Undergraduate medicine.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate a detailed understanding of selected topics within immunology and hepatology and the ability to analyse manuscripts and develop ideas for designing research projects in this area. Demonstrate with examples an understanding of how the immune system is implicated in a range of clinical disorders, particularly liver disease, and the modern approaches that are being made to investigate and manage these problems Discuss the underlying pathogenesis of liver and gastrointestinal disorders and be able to interpret/understand how different diseases are diagnosed Discuss in detail the pathophysiology and clinical features of some of the major subtypes of immune-mediated disease including transplant rejection, chronic liver disease, allergy and cancer. Have a basic knowledge of current and novel strategies used to treat liver and gastrointestinal disease. Discuss how immune molecules and cells can be used to treat the liver and other diseases. Be able to critically evaluate the use of these novel therapeutic modalities compared to conventional drugs.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: End of Module Exam 3 hours; 3 x Essays (50%) ICA Equivalent of 2000 word essay (50%) Reassessment: All failed components can be resubmitted at the next available opportunity.
Other
Reading List