Introduction to Immunology PDF

latrobe.edu.au PHA2PGB Introduction to immunology Content: Dr Cristina Keightley Reference: Chapter 1 – Introduction to the immune system in Abbas et al. 7th Ed. La Trobe University...

latrobe.edu.au PHA2PGB Introduction to immunology Content: Dr Cristina Keightley Reference: Chapter 1 – Introduction to the immune system in Abbas et al. 7th Ed. La Trobe University CRICOS Provider Code Number 00115M Module overview Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Overview Pathogen Antigen Immuno- Cell Recognition presentation pharmacology development and the innate Innate Cells Immune immune system Clonal immunity involved synapse diversity Glucocorticoids Cells Inflammation Tolerance Barrier immunity  latrobe.edu.au What is immunology and why is it so important? — “The science of defense” The immune system is a complex network of organs, cells and proteins that defends the body against infection, whilst protecting the body's own cells. — Study of the immune system – Protects us from infection using many lines of defence – Complex system of organs, cells and proteins that communicate with each other to mount an offensive against perceived microbial threats — Indispensable! – Faulty immune system results in disease: allergies, autoimmunity, cancers – Without a functional immune system, even normally harmless bacteria or pathogens causing everyday infections can become killers  latrobe.edu.au The immune system - what and how ? What does it do? — Recognises and combats various threats such as microorganisms or toxins — Destroys pathogens and dysregulated self (cancers) — Repairs wounds How does it do it? — Discriminates between Self (the body) and Non-self (everything else) — Operates two branches of immunity: – Innate, Natural – Adaptive, Learned  latrobe.edu.au The immune system and disease: a two-edged sword T he o o d ” “g T cha he lle n ges Ch 1 Basic Immunology Abbas et al, 7th Edition  latrobe.edu.au Defense against infection - vaccination — Dramatic decrease in cases of diseases with effective vaccination programs — Data collected from the US Ch 1 Basic Immunology Abbas et al, 7th Edition Pandemics are recurrent – crucial to deepen our latrobe.edu.au understanding of immunology https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/#google_vignette  latrobe.edu.au Advances in Immunology have led to the related area of Immunopharmacology — Immunopharmacology is: – study of the regulation of the immune system by pharmacological agents – development of methods to selectively modify immune function to treat human disease — Includes inoculation, autoimmune disorders, allergic reactions, and cancer — Significant advances have resulted in new approaches to pharmacologically control the immune system — Drugs targeting or taking advantage of the immune system  Immunopharmacotherapy is a type of treatment that uses medicines to boost or regulate the immune system to help fight diseases. In simple terms, it combines the knowledge of how the immune system works (immunology) with the use of drugs (pharmacology) to treat conditions like cancer, autoimmune diseases, allergies, or infections. latrobe.edu.au Immunopharmacotherapy Immunomodulators are substances or drugs that help regulate or adjust the activity of your immune system. They can either boost the immune system when it’s weak or suppress it when it’s overactive. These are commonly used to treat a variety of diseases, including autoimmune conditions, cancers, infections, and allergies. — Immunomodulators – Immunosuppressants Immunosuppressants are drugs or substances that reduce the activity of the immune system. – e.g, cyclosporin, tacrolimus used in transplants – Immunostimulants Immunostimulants are substances or drugs that enhance the activity of the immune system, making it stronger or more active. – Specific: bacterial and viral vaccines; – Non-specific: colony stimulating factors (Neulasta), interferons, interleukins (Proleukin) – Immune checkpoint inhibitors – Antibodies blocking PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4/B7-1/B7-2 — Vaccines Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy drug that helps the immune system fight cancer by "unlocking" its ability to attack cancer cells. These drugs target specific proteins that act as brakes on the — Antibodies immune system, allowing immune cells (like T-cells) to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively. Cell-based immunotherapy is a type of treatment where specially engineered or enhanced immune cells are used to fight diseases, such as cancer, infections, or autoimmune conditions. It involves manipulating the patient’s own immune cells (or donor cells) to make them more effective at targeting and eliminating harmful cells, like cancer or infected cells. How It Works: 1) Collect Immune Cells: Immune cells, such as T-cells, are extracted from the patient’s blood. 2) Engineer or Enhance the Cells: The cells are modified or activated in a laboratory to better recognize and attack specific disease targets. 3)Reinfuse the Cells: The enhanced immune cells are infused back into the patient’s body, where they target the disease more effectively.  latrobe.edu.au Cell-based Immunotherapy — CAR-T cells — Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes — Engineered T Cell Receptor (TCR) Therapy — NK Cell Therapy 1) CAR-T Cell Therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy): - T-cells are genetically engineered to express a receptor (CAR) that helps them recognize specific proteins on cancer cells. - Widely used for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Examples: Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), Axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta). 2) Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) Therapy: - T-cells naturally found within a tumor are extracted, expanded in the lab, and activated, then reinfused into the patient. - Often used for solid tumors like melanoma. 3) Engineered TCR (T-Cell Receptor) Therapy: Definition: T-cells are modified to express specific TCRs that target antigens presented by MHC molecules on cancer or infected cells. Mechanism: TCRs recognize antigens inside cells, allowing T-cells to target a broader range of diseases. Applications: Cancer: Effective for tumors expressing specific antigens (e.g., NY-ESO-1 in sarcomas and melanomas). Infectious Diseases: Targets chronic infections like HIV and Hepatitis. Challenges: Limited by MHC type and potential off-target effects. 4) Natural Killer (NK) Cell Therapy: NK cells, which naturally kill abnormal cells, are extracted and expanded or engineered to enhance their ability to destroy cancer or infected cells.  latrobe.edu.au Therapeutic Applications — Autoimmune diseases – Thyroiditis: autoantibodies to TSH, thyroglobulin – Myasthenia gravis: autoantibodies to AchR – Type I Diabetes: immune response to beta cells – Glomerulonephritis – Rheumatoid Arthritis — Organ / Tissue transplantation – Kidney, heart, bone marrow s – Pancreatic islets — Cancer  latrobe.edu.au Summary — The immune system is a complex network of organs, cells and proteins that communicate with each other to mount an offensive against perceived microbial threats — Recognises and combats various threats such as microorganisms or toxins — Destroys pathogens and dysregulated self (cancers) — Repairs wounds — Two major branches of immunity – Innate immunity provides rapid natural or generic defences against infection – Adaptive immunity occurs later and can create a diverse and specific range of responses — The immune system works hard to protect us from pathogens but can provoke a misguided response (transplant rejection, autoimmunity, etc) — Immunopharmacology is the study of the regulation of the immune system by pharmacological agents and development of methods to selectively modify immune function to treat human disease — Continued advances in development of vaccinations and treatments for diseases that target and/or harness the power of the immune system  Thank you latrobe.edu.au La Trobe University CRICOS Provider Code Number 00115M © Copyright La Trobe University 2024