Summary Immunology
Lecture 1, Chapter 1 & 2
Immunology is the study of the physiological mechanisms that humans and other animals
use to defend their bodies from invasion by all sorts of other organisms. Infectious diseases
are caused by microorganisms, which have the advantage of reproducing and evolving much
more rapidly than their human hosts. In response, the human body invests heavily in cells
dedicated to defense, which collectively form the immune system.
the immune system takes time to build up its strongest response to an invading
microorganism, time during which the invader can multiply and cause disease. To provide
immunity that will give future protection from the disease, the immune system must first
battle the microorganism.
In medicine, the greatest triumph of immunology has been vaccination, or immunization, a
procedure whereby severe disease is prevented by prior exposure to the infectious agent in
a form that cannot cause disease. Vaccination provides the opportunity for the immune
system to gain the experience needed to make a protective response with little risk to health
or life. Effective vaccines have been made from only a fraction of the agents that cause
disease, and some are of limited availability because of their cost.
The first line of defense is innate immunity, which includes physical and chemical barriers to
infection, and responses that are ready and waiting to halt infections before they can barely
start. Most infections are stopped by these mechanisms, but when they fail, the more
flexible and forceful defenses of the adaptive immune response are brought into play. The
adaptive immune response is always targeted to the specific problem at hand and is made
and refined during the course of the infection. When successful, it clears the infection and
provides long-lasting immunity that prevents its recurrence.
Our immune system ensures we stay HEALTHY
IMMUNE SYSTEM
→ A diffuse, complex network of interacting cells, cell products, and cell-forming tissues
• that protects the body
from pathogens and other foreign substances
destroys infected and malignant cells
and removes cellular debris (wound healing)
Our immune system needs to discriminate between self and non-self AND harmless versus
harmful
,There is a delicate balance in immune activation (inflammation) and inhibition (tolerance)
,Before we can use our immune system for treatment, we need to know what the right
balance is, how it’s achieved, and what exactly causes dysbalance
Elements of the Immune System and Their Roles in Defense
What are the components of your immune system?
I: What is the difference between innate and adaptive immunity?
II: What is the function of these components in immunity?
Components of the immune system
In our blood, we can find multiple immunological components.
, These cells and molecules are subdivided in two main immunological categories: innate
versus adaptive immunity.
Granulocytes → cell types that are full of granules that can release their granules.
Lymphocytes → big group containing NK cells, T cells, and B cells
Adaptive → some are born with you but they can adapt
Hematopoiesis is the development of immune cells with two important common precursors
Myeloid cell precursor Lymphoid cell precursor
APC→ antigen presented cells
Lecture 1, Chapter 1 & 2
Immunology is the study of the physiological mechanisms that humans and other animals
use to defend their bodies from invasion by all sorts of other organisms. Infectious diseases
are caused by microorganisms, which have the advantage of reproducing and evolving much
more rapidly than their human hosts. In response, the human body invests heavily in cells
dedicated to defense, which collectively form the immune system.
the immune system takes time to build up its strongest response to an invading
microorganism, time during which the invader can multiply and cause disease. To provide
immunity that will give future protection from the disease, the immune system must first
battle the microorganism.
In medicine, the greatest triumph of immunology has been vaccination, or immunization, a
procedure whereby severe disease is prevented by prior exposure to the infectious agent in
a form that cannot cause disease. Vaccination provides the opportunity for the immune
system to gain the experience needed to make a protective response with little risk to health
or life. Effective vaccines have been made from only a fraction of the agents that cause
disease, and some are of limited availability because of their cost.
The first line of defense is innate immunity, which includes physical and chemical barriers to
infection, and responses that are ready and waiting to halt infections before they can barely
start. Most infections are stopped by these mechanisms, but when they fail, the more
flexible and forceful defenses of the adaptive immune response are brought into play. The
adaptive immune response is always targeted to the specific problem at hand and is made
and refined during the course of the infection. When successful, it clears the infection and
provides long-lasting immunity that prevents its recurrence.
Our immune system ensures we stay HEALTHY
IMMUNE SYSTEM
→ A diffuse, complex network of interacting cells, cell products, and cell-forming tissues
• that protects the body
from pathogens and other foreign substances
destroys infected and malignant cells
and removes cellular debris (wound healing)
Our immune system needs to discriminate between self and non-self AND harmless versus
harmful
,There is a delicate balance in immune activation (inflammation) and inhibition (tolerance)
,Before we can use our immune system for treatment, we need to know what the right
balance is, how it’s achieved, and what exactly causes dysbalance
Elements of the Immune System and Their Roles in Defense
What are the components of your immune system?
I: What is the difference between innate and adaptive immunity?
II: What is the function of these components in immunity?
Components of the immune system
In our blood, we can find multiple immunological components.
, These cells and molecules are subdivided in two main immunological categories: innate
versus adaptive immunity.
Granulocytes → cell types that are full of granules that can release their granules.
Lymphocytes → big group containing NK cells, T cells, and B cells
Adaptive → some are born with you but they can adapt
Hematopoiesis is the development of immune cells with two important common precursors
Myeloid cell precursor Lymphoid cell precursor
APC→ antigen presented cells
