Allergic effector cells, such as mast cells and basophils, crucially govern the symptoms associated with allergic reactions. These reactions are potentially fatal but even less-severe allergic diseases are an increasing global health burden.
In this LFC 2/3 we will explore how mast cells and basophils contribute to allergies, such as releasing histamine and other mediators which cause allergic inflammation and fatal anaphylactic shock. Students will also gain an overview of allergies and an insight in allergy research, including some of the key methods use to study the functions of mast cells and basophils, and how these can be used in the quest for new anti-allergic therapies.
At the end of this course medical students will be able to:
• Demonstrate a detailed understanding of what allergies are and how mast cells and basophils are sensitized and activated.
• Describe the various inflammatory and immunomodulatory mediators that are generated and released from mast cells and basophils.
• Show an awareness of the experimental techniques used to isolate human allergic effector cells and their use in allergy research.
• Write a short overview (<1000 words – including references – in English) regarding the role of basophils and/or mast cells in allergic diseases and the main techniques used to isolate and study the functions of these cells.