Revised 3/14/2016
Leukocyte Trafficking (MDSC 639.04; IMM-4), Winter 2016
9:30-11:00 am Tue/Thurs G744
Coordinator: Kamala Patel
Tel: 220-2746
Email: kpatel@ucalgary.ca
The focus of the module is to understand the mechanisms that regulate the movement
of leukocytes from the blood stream into the tissue during normal and inflammatory
conditions. Topics will include adhesion molecule expression, chemokines, cytokines,
lipid activators and leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions.
Topic
Lecturer/Presenters
Day
Date
Overview of Inflammation and
Inflammatory Cells
Lipid Mediators and Chemokines
K. Patel
Tue
Jan 5
K. Patel
Thurs
Jan 7
Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell
K. Patel
Tue
Jan 12
K. Patel
Thurs
Jan 14
Paper Reconstruction I
Collaborative Work
Tue
Jan 19
Paper Reconstruction II
Collaborative Work
Thurs
Jan 21
Paper Reconstruction III
Collaborative Work
Tue
Jan 26
Exam
Exam
Thurs
Jan 28
Interactions
Current Methods in Inflammation
Introduction to Group Work
Learning Objectives
o Know the adhesion and activation molecules involved in leukocyte trafficking
o Understand the basic recruitment paradigm
o Learn how to write a critical review
o Be able to dissect and reconstruct an experimental question
o Be able to work collaboratively to accomplish specific goals
Web resources: Lecture notes will be available after each class.
Recommended and future reading:
“Fundamentals of Inflammation” edited by Charles Serhan, Peter Ward and
Derek Gilroy, 2010
Ley et al, Nature Rev Immunology, vol 7: 678, 2007 (old, but foundational review)
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/olib.html is a great resource on writing skills.
Revised 3/14/2016
Collaborative work
Working as a team is becoming increasingly important in research. The group
work is a tool designed to gain deeper understanding of the material, allow you to
work as a team to accomplish a goal and think about scientific questions related
to leukocyte trafficking in a manner that reflects future tasks such as candidacy
examinations and thesis defenses.
Potential topics for group work: Inflammation as it relates to lipid mediators,
chemokines and the leukocyte recruitment cascade. You will note that these are
the topics covered in the lectures. The group work is designed to use the
framework provided in the lectures and move into current topics in those
areas. Time during class will be set aside to work on these goals. In addition,
preparation and time outside of class will be needed to prepare for the debate.
The method for assessment of group work will be discussed in class.
Paper critiques (written)
There are three written assignments for this course involving critical assessments of
journal articles. Please reference
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/critrev.html for details on how to write a critical review.
The assessment should be no more than two pages, 12-point, single-spaced and
address the strengths and weaknesses of the paper. The critique should be supported
by the relevant literature. References are not included in the 2-page limit. Critiques will
be due by noon on the following dates:
Assignment #1 (based on the first paper) Jan 26th
Assignment #2 (based on the second paper) Feb 3rd (recommended that you
complete this sooner, but did not want the due date to coincide with the exam)
Assignment #3 (based on either the debate or the third paper) Feb 5th
The exam will reflect the content of the lectures and the papers.
Methods of Assessment and Grading Scheme
Exam
40%
Collaborative work
30% - 10/10/10 paper reconstruction/debate/peer review
Written critiques
30%
A
AB+
B
B-
4.0 excellent
3.7 well above average
3.3 above average
3.0 average
below average
86%
80%
75%
70%
65%