Welcome to BIOL 3120 – Immunobiology
Course Goals: In this course you will learn about the biology and chemistry of the immune response.
Topics will include structure and function of antibodies; antibody diversity; anatomy and development
of the immune system; cellular interactions; immunological responses in disease; production and use of
monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.
Prerequisites: SC/BIOL 2020 4.0; SC/BIOL 2021 4.0; SC/BIOL 2040 4.0.
Textbook: The Immune System by Peter Parham. REQUIRED
Class Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 to 7:00pm in CSE B
Instructor: Dr. Tanya Da Sylva
The best way to reach me is email: dasylva@yorku.ca
Email must include BIOL 3120 in the subject line and your full name somewhere in the text. Email is
NOT a substitute for office hour attendance.
Office hours: Fridays 10:00 – 12:30. 118A Farquharson
Course Website: WebCT
A York WebCT account is required to access any online material for this course.
Information about WebCT at York can be found at: www.yorku.ca/fsc/webct/student/quickstart.htm
Please check WebCT often. Announcements may be posted on WebCT before they are communicated
in class. WebCT will also be where you can view your grades, please do not email the instructor/TAs
about grades – they will be posted as soon as possible.
Evaluations: Your grade will consist of 2 midterms and 1 final exam. The midterms will be multiple
choice and true/false. The final may include fill in the blank or short answer questions. Exams will
include material from the lectures and textbook. The final exam will be cumulative.
Midterms will not be returned but can be viewed during office hours.
Midterm #1: Tuesday, October 4 (25%)
Midterm #2: Tuesday, November 8 (25%)
Final Exam: Date and Time set by Registrar’s Office (50%)
What if I cannot write the exam that day?
Please note that accommodations are not guaranteed in all circumstances. Guidelines and advice can
be found on the departmental website and in your undergraduate handbook.
Link: What excuses are valid for missing a test?
If you are aware of a planned conflict you should contact me as soon as possible. Do not leave it to test
day. Not all conflicts will be accommodated.
Please note: The final exam schedule is set by the registrar. The final exam period this term (F2011) is
from December 8 -22. You should not schedule any vacations, trips etc., until after the exam schedule is
released!
There are special guidelines for religious holidays. You must contact me at least 3 weeks prior to the
exam and you can read the guidelines themselves at: Religious accommodations
NOTE: There will be only one make-up day for each midterm. If you cannot attend the make-up AND
you have valid reasons for missing the test(s) your marks will be redistributed to the final. The make-up
date for the term tests will be announced on WebCT the week prior to the test.
For unplanned (emergency) circumstances please contact me as soon as possible after the exam, and no
later than 3 days after. Note that the make-up day may be before this 3 day cut-off, in which case if you
have not yet contacted me you will have to provide proper documentation for both the original midterm
and the make-up date. For medical issues you must submit an “Attending Physician’s Statement”,
available from the Registrar’s office.
Course Outline:
Week 1 (Sept. 8th )
Week 2 (Sept. 13, 15)
Week 3 (Sept. 20, 22)
Week 4 (Sept. 27, 29)
MIDTERM #1
Week 5 (Oct. 6)
Week 6 (Oct. 18, 20)
Week 7 (Oct. 25, 27)
Week 8 (Nov. 1, 3)
MIDTERM #2
Week 9 (Nov. 10)
Week 10 (Nov. 15, 17)
Week 11 (Nov. 22, 24)
Week 12 (Nov. 29, 1)
LAST DAY
Course Introduction. Elements of the Immune System (Chapter 1)
The Innate Immune System and introduction to Adaptive Immunity (Chapters 2
and 3)
B-cell Antibody Structure, Generation of Diversity, Activation and Antibody
Diversification (Chapter 4)
T-cell Receptor Diversity, Antigen processing and presentation. The MHC
Complex (Chapter 5)
October 4 – worth 25%
B-cell Development (Chapter 6)
Reading Week
Development of T-cells, Positive and Negative Selection (Chapter 7)
Activation of Naive T-cells, Effector T-cells (Chapter 8)
Antibody Production by B-cells, Antibody effector functions (Chapter 9)
November 8 – worth 25%
Body’s Defenses against Infection (Chapter 10)
Body’s Defenses *continued+; Failures of the Body’s Defenses (Chapters 10 and
11)
Overreactions of the Immune System; Autoimmune Diseases (Chapters 12 and
13)
Vaccination; Transplantation and Immune System in Cancer (Chapters 14 -16)
December 6th will serve as an exam review session.
****NOTE*****
This is a rough outline only. The purpose of this outline is to help you keep track of textbook readings
and topics covered any particular week could change as needed. Please check WebCT for any changes
to the outline.
A few comments on the course:
This course will include concepts unfamiliar to many of you. It will be difficult to master these concepts
if you do not understand the words used to describe them. Your textbook has a Glossary section at the
back that defines key words and phrases. Reading your textbook before class will also be very helpful.