Division of Infection and Immunity

IMMN2001 Immunology
Provides a thorough grounding in basic cellular and molecular immunology. This knowledge is then built upon to discuss the more applied aspects of immunology including defence against infection and defects in immune responsiveness such as immunodeficiencies, allergy and autoimmune disease. The module consists of lectures and review sessions, and is examined by an unseen written exam (80% of final mark) and a coursework essay (20% of final mark).

Module Tutor: Professor Peter Delves

INIM3002 Immunology in Health & Disease (Term 1)
This module will extend your understanding of immunology from (1) cellular and molecular anatomy of the immune system and (2) the principles of immune responses, through to (3) advanced contemporary understanding of role of immunology in health and the mechanisms of immunopathogenesis in disease. This module will incorporate 6 practical sessions encompassing important laboratory and bioinformatic methods.

Module Tutor: Dr Antony Antoniou

INIM3004 Cellular Pathology (Term 1)
Cellular pathology encompasses the mechanisms by which dysfunction of cellular processes contributes to the pathogenesis of disease. In this module, we aim (1) to give you an in‑depth understanding of key cellular processes, (2) to highlight the mechanisms by which their dysfunction can cause disease, and (3) to introduce the contemporary experimental approaches that are used to study these.

Module Tutor: Professor Benny Chain

INIM3001 Laboratory-Based Research Project (Term 1 & 2)

This module aims to give you firsthand experience of original laboratory research under direct supervision of principal investigators at UCL. We assess the aspirations of each student individually to identify their preferences for potential types of project that are relevant to the broad scope of the iBSc. Together with their supervisor, students will then formulate a specific project, design and undertake experiments, and interpret /communicate their work in oral presentations and a written report. This module provides invaluable teaching in scientific methodology, laboratory techniques, critical appraisal of original experimental data, and unique insight into the potential of new discoveries. The skills acquired here provide a competitive platform for students who may wish to pursue a future clinical academic career. 

Module Tutor: Dr Mahdad Noursadeghi

INIM3006 Allergy, Autoimmunity & Transplantation (Term 2)
This module focuses on the mechanisms by which the immune system can cause diseases by inappropriate immune responses against self or transplanted tissues. We aim (1) to describe the contemporary understanding of allergic and hypersensitivity disorders; (2) to describe the spectrum of pathogenetic mechanisms involved in antibody and cell mediated autoimmunity; (3) to give a broad understanding of the principles of transplantation, transplant rejection and graft versus host disease.

Module Tutor: Dr Brian De Souza

INIM3007 Viruses & Disease (Term 2)
This module is based on a major strength in experimental and clinical virology at UCL, with the aim to provide advanced understanding of (1) the principles of virus replication (2) the remarkable interaction between a virus and its host and (3) broad knowledge of individual virus infections, their treatment and prevention.

Module Tutor: Dr Richard Milne

George Gladstone (September 2010):
"I found the year hugely enjoyable with a fantastic combination of lectures covering specific diseases and infections in detail, whilst overview lectures helped to tie the entire course together. The flexibility to chose between different modules, and the ability to frop in on lectures from other modules when free, allows students to tailor the course to their own specific interests. Small group work involving the discussion and presentation of various scientific papers allowed the development of both presentation skills and being able to dissect key data from papers, which are often much more complex and information rich than information in papers in medical journals."

Presentations to the entire course also helped to enhance these skills, with valuable feedback from student and staff alike leaving me feeling much more confident in both my manner of presentation and the content that I was delivering.

The research project is the much discussed corner-stone of the course, and rightly so - choice is again key, and being able to select a project that appealed to me personally ensured that I remained interested and committed. My supervisor was very eager to help me get to grips with even the most basic techniques of lab work, along with all the other skills associated with research, and I felt involved and that I was contributing something useful towards the sum output of the lab. Being attached to labs that are at the cutting edge of research and actively making new discoveries in their various fields is highly invigorating.

I'd advice prospective students not to be put off by the mention of lab work, or the manner in which the course attempts to maintain a grounding in research - knowing even roughly how a research lab functions is very useful, as well as understanding quite how much effort goes into producing items for publication. The work involved is very satisfyingboth on the day-to-day level, in the longer term. Everyone attached to the course from the head of the department to your supervisors and lecturers remains approachable and open to requests and comments, in a manner very different from phase 1."