In this course, you will learn about the role of immune responses of the adaptive (acquired) immune system which provides specialised immunity against pathogens.
Immunology: Adaptive Immune System
This course is part of Immunology: The Immune System and its Failures Specialization
Instructors: Malgorzata (Maggie) Trela
4,941 already enrolled
Included with
(55 reviews)
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
In this course, you will explore the two main types of adaptive immune cells, T and B lymphocytes.
You will understand how their various sub-sets contribute to the overall immune response.
Finally, you will explore the effect of age on the function of the immune system.
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
13 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 6 modules in this course
In module one, learners will discover who B lymphocytes are and how they contribute to our immune response against pathogens. Together, we will explore how they develop, commit to becoming functional effector cells and what their effector mechanisms are. We will also investigate how the immune system prevents them from over-reacting against health cells.
What's included
7 videos4 readings2 assignments
In module two, learners will discover how T lymphocytes develop, differentiate into two main sub-types and how these contribute to the orchestration of the adaptive immune response and the direct destruction of infected cells. We will also discuss the mechanism that our body has put in place to prevent these very powerful cells from turning against the host’s healthy cells.
What's included
2 videos2 readings3 assignments
In module three, we will explore the ability of some T lymphocytes to directly kill infected and tumour cells. We will learn about the mechanisms that activate them, contrast this with other complementary immune mechanisms of direct killing, and understand how their activation is kept under tight control to avoid the destruction of healthy cells.
What's included
1 video2 readings2 assignments
In module four, we will explore the development and function of a particular type of T lymphocytes, regulatory T cells, whose main role is to regulate the overall immune response to avoid serious detrimental outcome for the host. We will look at their mechanisms of action in more details and discuss their therapeutic application for human health.
What's included
1 video2 readings2 assignments
In module five, learners will be taken on a travel journey into our body to understand how the correct immune cells get to the correct site of infection. This will involve understanding the mechanisms by which immune cells migrate from the blood stream to infected tissues and sites of activation. Importantly, together with our expert here at Imperial, we will also explore the importance for this ability to be tightly regulated.
What's included
2 videos2 readings2 assignments
In module six, we will explore the impact ageing has on the immune system. We will identify what inflammaging is, its causes and its consequences on the immune system. We will reflect on what this means in terms of therapeutical approaches for human health.
What's included
1 video2 readings2 assignments
Instructors
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Basic Science
American Museum of Natural History
Johns Hopkins University
Rice University
Johns Hopkins University
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
55 reviews
- 5 stars
78.57%
- 4 stars
16.07%
- 3 stars
3.57%
- 2 stars
0%
- 1 star
1.78%
Showing 3 of 55
Reviewed on May 17, 2023
A comprehensive course to learn the basics of immunology. Well done and thanks!
Reviewed on Oct 31, 2023
Very useful in learning the basic principles of adaptive immunity. Highly recommended!
New to Basic Science? Start here.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.