About this Course

Course four, Fundamentals of Immunology: Dueling with Pathogens and Cancer, covers the constant battle between your immune system and threats to your health. The first two lectures discuss viral and cellular pathogens, focusing on specific tactics they use to deflect immune attacks. Next, a cheerier lecture describes other immune-based therapies, beginning with engineered antibodies to treat specific diseases. This lecture continues with vaccine development (viral-engineered, killed, RNA-component vaccines, and more) and adjuvant function and ends with vaccination strategies, including herd immunity and resisting the anti-vaccination movement. The last two lectures cover immune deficiencies and how cancer evades the immune system, concluding with advances in using immune therapies (antibodies and CAR T cells) to cure cancer.

Created by: Rice University