Scientific basis of allergy

By the end of this short course you will be better able to:

• Illustrate the immune response to pathogens, including processes such as antigen presentation and effector cell mechanisms.
• Appraise potential risk and protective factors impacting on the pathophysiology of allergic diseases.
• Differentiate the early and late phase of the allergic immune response. 
• Differentiate IgE-mediated versus cell-mediated mechanisms in allergy.
• Critically compare the immune mechanisms underlying the spectrum of allergic diseases.
• Connect the immune mechanisms underlying the range of allergic diseases to the clinical symptoms in children and adults.
• Distinguish the range of in vivo and in vitro tests for diagnosis and therapies’ immune monitoring in allergic diseases.
• Critically appraise the suitability of available diagnostic tests and candidate treatments for allergic diseases, in view of the underlying immune mechanism.

Teaching delivery format
The course has been designed in an innovative format combining asynchronous materials (e.g. pre-recorded sessions, reading lists and web-based resources) to revise in your own time, and live interactive sessions both online and on campus which will include focused discussions and case-based elements. A range of formats will be used to encourage active learning, including expert panel question & answer sessions, group work, workshops, role-play, pro-con debates and scenario-based sessions.

The live online sessions will take place in October/November, predominantly in the week starting on 4 November 2024. We encourage participants to book leave that week to follow the teaching. Asynchronous materials will be made available in October and a ‘course launch webinar’ will be held for registered participants to introduce the course and help you get organised to maximize your learning experience.

Going through the asynchronous materials should take around 25-30 hours of study, and we highly encourage you to review as much as possible before the live teaching. The live teaching sessions will take 15 - 20 hours, and will focus on discussions and Q&A partly based on the asynchronous materials.

Key Dates & provisional times (UK time): 

• Date to be confirmed: Launch webinar and introductions  – release of asynchronous materials
• Date tbc (online): Immunology Warm Up
• Date tbc: Live online teaching
• Date tbc: hybrid live teaching (on campus or online)*

*The hybrid live teaching will be held at one of our campuses – live streaming will be made available for those that choose to follow the course online.

Planned topics

Immunology:

• ‘Crash course on immunology’
• Immunology & Allergy for beginners
• Innate immunity and adaptive immunity
• Immune tolerance and autoimmunity 
• Infections and immunity 

Pathophysiology of allergic disease:

• What is an allergen?
• How do allergen sensitise?
• IgE – structure and function
• The hygiene hypothesis revisited
• Parasites and allergy
• Epidemiology of asthma
• The role of microbiome in Asthma
• Clinical presentation and pathophysiology Allergic Rhinitis
• Clinical presentation and pathophysiology Asthma
• Clinical presentation and pathophysiology Food Allergy 
• Epidemiology and pathophysiology of Anaphylaxis 
• Allergy to Alpha-Gal
• Animal models in asthma and allergy

Diagnosis/immune monitoring in allergy and clinical immunology:

• Lab tour (virtual) -Diagnostic tests, Cellular and molecular methods 
• Precision immunology in allergy and asthma

Therapeutics:

• Precision medicine in asthma
• Biologicals for atopic dermatitis
• Immunotherapy for food allergy - focus on mechanisms 
• Mechanisms immune tolerance and biomarkers of allergen-specific immunotherapy
• Novel approaches of inhalant Allergen Immunotherapy 

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Allergy and Immunology:

• Utility of Computational Biology and Allergy
• Trajectory of allergic disease – new insights by Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence

Please note there may be minor changes to the planned topics above.

The course is suitable for basic scientists, professionals working in industry in the field of asthma and allergy, as well as healthcare professionals who deal with patients with asthma and allergic conditions, including doctors (GPs, Paediatricians, Specialists in Allergy, Dermatology, Respiratory Medicine or ENT) as well as specialist nurses, dietitians and nutritionists.

Participants have the option of completing an assessment component and on completion will be provided with an official Imperial College London transcript of results. Details of the assessment and deadline for submission will be given during the course. Please note that there is an additional assessment fee payable in full prior to submission date. Please contact us for further information.