Vaccine Research and Immunomonitoring Course

Introduction

Welcome to the Vaccine Research and Immunomonitoring course, a comprehensive module designed to equip you with critical knowledge and practical skills in the research dynamic fields of vaccine development, clinical immunomonitoring and molecular diagnostics. This course is structured to provide a deeper understanding of various vaccine types, the different steps of vaccine development, and experimental approaches for molecular diagnosis of infections and for assessment of the human immune response to vaccination.

Course Description

This is an in-presence course. In the practical component, you will apply laboratory techniques to diagnose infections using molecular methods, such as Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and to assess pathogen-specific antibody and T cell responses, both of which are vital for clinical vaccine trials and studies. These hands-on experiences will be instrumental in honing your technical skills and enhancing your understanding of immune responses.

The course will also teach about different vaccine types and vaccination approaches and emphasize on regulatory aspects related to vaccine research and in particular assay validation for clinical immunomonitoring.

Key Content Areas

1. Theoretical Foundations: Gain insight into the immune system's response to pathogens and vaccines, understanding key cell types like T cells and B cells. Explore immune responses from antigen recognition to the formation of adaptive immune memory and to effector mechanisms.

2. Immune Assays: Hands-on training in various experimental assays central to the detection of pathogens and pathogen-specific Immune responses, to prepare and interpret results accurately, ensuring proficiency in immune response assessment.

3. T Cell Immunomonitoring: Learn techniques for evaluating T cell proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxic activity, crucial for understanding cellular immunity.

4. B Cell and Antibody Assays: Understand the role of B cells and antibodies in immune defense, practicing antibody assays such as ELISA and neutralization assays for comprehensive immune monitoring.

5. Flow Cytometry: Master flow cytometry principles and data analysis for characterizing immune cell populations, essential for precise immune profiling and monitoring in clinical settings.

6. Use of Pathogen and Immunomonitoring: Explore how techniques can be applied in current reseach practices using real world example of the munich sewage system surveillance project.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand different Vaccine Types and the phases of vaccine development, including recent advances in vaccine research.

• Ensuring Safe Laboratory Practices: Apply concepts for safely handling human specimens.

• Practical Application of Laboratory Techniques: Apply basic laboratory techniques to assess and diagnose infections using molecular methods. Perform analyses of pathogen-specific antibody and T cell responses commonly applied in vaccine trials and clinical studies.

• Critical Appraisal of Regulatory Requirements: Know about key principles of regulatory requirements in the laboratory (GCLP) for clinical immunomonitoring, molecular diagnostics and assay validation in Europe.

Target Audience

Public health professionals, epidemiologists, researchers, health policy planners, and anyone interested in infectious diseases immunology and vaccine research.

Registration

Registration is NOW OPEN until January 03, 2025.

Cancellation Policy

For cancellations made before the registration deadline, a non-refundable fee of 100 EUR will be charged.

For cancellations made after the registration deadline until the course start, a non-refundable fee of 300 EUR will be charged.

In case of no-shows or cancellations from the start of the course, the full course fee will be charged.

Contact

For more info, contact the Teaching & Training Unit in Munich at 

ttu@lrz.uni-muenchen.de