MMI - Medical Microbiology and Immunology

This course will introduce students to pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites), the immune systems that have co-evolved to deal with these threats, and related topics such as vaccination and antibiotic resistance. This course is designed for individuals with little or no background in the biological sciences. Students from the Faculty of Science may not take this course for credit. Students in other programs should consult their program advisor to determine whether this course can be taken for credit.

Introductory course in medical microbiology designed for students enrolled in health care related programs. The course begins with basic information on microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and prions), the immune system, infection control, transmission of infection, epidemiology, antimicrobials, disinfection and sterilization. The later part of the course concentrates on infectious diseases caused by pathogenic organisms. Nursing students must achieve a minimum grade of C+ in order to progress in their program.

Medically important bacteria, how they cause disease and the body's immune response to bacteria. Lectures will systematically discuss the organisms and describe their distinctive as well as their common features of structure and pathogenicity. Prerequisites: MICRB 265 and IMIN 200. May not be taken for credit if credit already obtained in MLSCI 242 or 243.

This laboratory course will emphasize development of skills and knowledge for the safe handling of infectious microorganisms and will examine some of the molecular mechanisms of microbial virulence. Prerequisite or corequisite: MMI 351 or MLSCI 242 and 243 or consent of the Department.

This laboratory course will introduce the student to common techniques in molecular biology. Through a series of experiments, students will clone and express the genes for bioluminescence from the light-emitting bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Technical skills will include: preparation and quantification of genomic and plasmid DNAs, screening a genomic library, restriction mapping, amplification of DNA fragments using the polymerase chain reaction, Southern blotting, expression and purification of proteins, and detection of proteins by Western blotting. Prerequisites: IMIN 200 and departmental consent. Priority given to Honors students in the IMIN program. Credit may be obtained for only one of BIOL 391, IMIN 391 or MMI 391.

Directed research done under the supervision of an academic member of the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. This is normally for students in their third year. Successful completion of this course requires an oral presentation of the project. Prerequisite: IMIN 200 and consent of course coordinator. Credit can only be obtained once.

This course will focus on concepts and mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis by discussing a combination of classic and current papers. Essentially a paper dissection course, emphasis will be on experimental approaches, their strengths and limitations. Student-run seminars will be used to facilitate interactive learning. Prerequisites: BIOCH 200 and MMI 351 or MLSCI 242 or 243 or consent of the Department.

This course focuses on current and historically important topics in virology, to provide advanced understanding of the mechanisms of virus replication, virus-host interactions, therapies and vaccines for pathogenic viruses and applications of viruses for human health, agricultural or ecological benefits. Scientific literature is incorporated to better understand research approaches in virology. The course combines lecture-based classes with discussion of scientific literature, and student presentations. Prerequisites: BIOCH 200, IMIN 324 and IMIN 371, or consent of Department.

A survey of the protozoan and metazoan parasites of man. Emphasis will be placed on biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation and approaches to parasite detection, as well as global impact of parasitic diseases in today's world. Selected parasites will be demonstrated in class to supplement electronic images shown in the lectures. Prerequisite: MMI 133, MLSCI 242 and MLSCI 243, or IMIN 200.

This course will introduce the student to inflammation and its role in a range of diseases. An overview is provided on acute and chronic inflammation, asthma and allergy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), viral hepatitis, liver cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity-related inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease. The syllabus includes a mix of lectures and current topics discussions for students to present recent advances in inflammation. Pre- or co-requisites: IMIN 371 or instructor consent.

This course will focus on the interactions between clinically relevant microorganisms and the host. Topics include important issues and contemporary problems in clinical microbiology regarding infectious diseases relevant to health care. Aspects that will be studied are: pathogenesis, epidemiology, immune responses, treatment and infection control. Recent advances in vaccines, laboratory diagnosis and techniques will be included. Prerequisites: MMI 133, or MLSCI 242 and MLSCI 243, or IMIN 200, or consent of department.

This lab-based course will introduce students to advanced molecular techniques for the examination of host-microbial interactions. Students will be introduced to the principles and applications of molecular and diagnostic techniques for the characterization of interactions between host cells and microbial pathogens. Key techniques include flow cytometry, fluorescence imaging, high-throughput RNA interference assays and high-content imaging. Prerequisites: IMIN 200 and IMIN 371.

Directed research on a specific topic in medical microbiology or immunology in the laboratory of an academic staff member associated with MMI. Can be taken for credit more than once. An oral presentation on the research project is required for completion of the course. Pre- or corequisites: IMIN 324 or 371 or 452 or MMI 351 and/or consent of Department.

Directed research project on a specific topic in medical microbiology or immunology in the laboratory of an academic staff member associated with MMI. An oral presentation and a written report on the research project is required for completion of the course. Pre- or corequisites: IMIN 324 or 371 or 452 or MMI 351 and/or consent of the Department.

Directed research project on a specific topic in medical microbiology or immunology in the laboratory of an academic staff member associated with MMI. An oral presentation and a written report on the research project is required for completion of the course. Pre- or corequisites: IMIN 324 or 371 or 452 or MMI 351 and/or consent of the Department.

The objective of this course is to develop skills in critical analysis of research in the fields of microbial pathogenesis and the immune system through facilitated dissection of selected recent publications. Discussion will focus on developing hypothesis, evaluating experimental design and interpretation of results, and formulating future directions. Students will present a paper to the department and receive feedback. Required course. Open to graduate students in Medical Microbiology and Immunology only.

A course designed to provide graduate students with the skills necessary to succeed in their graduate programs. Course topics will vary year-to-year, but will include activities that develop scientific writing and presentation skills, and other skills required of scientists. Prerequisites: None. Open to graduate students in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Prerequisites: consent of department.

This course will focus on concepts and mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis by discussing a combination of classic and current papers. Essentially a paper dissection course, emphasis will be on experimental approaches, their strengths and limitations. Student-run seminars will be used to facilitate interactive learning. Lectures and seminars are the same as for MMI 405 but there will be an additional requirement of a written research proposal. This course may not be taken if credit has already been obtained in MMI 405. Consent of Department required.

This course will introduce the student to common and advanced methods in bioinformatics. In lectures and hands-on computer sessions, the student will solve realistic biological questions in the areas of sequence analysis, distant homology detection, phylogeny, correlation of sequence to structure, protein structure analysis, and genomics. While the student will obtain a thorough understanding of bioinformatics methods, the focus is on application of methods in the context of molecular biology research rather than on details of algorithms or computer programming. As a final assignment students will write a mini-proposal for a molecular biology research project that incorporates a series of bioinformatics studies to complement and guide the experimental work. May not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained in IMIN 410. Prerequisites: departmental consent. Priority given to MMI graduate students.

This course focuses on current and historically-important topics in virology, to provide advanced understanding of the mechanisms of virus replication, virus-host interactions, therapies and vaccines for pathogenic viruses and applications of viruses for human health, agricultural or ecological benefits. The course combines lecture-based classes with discussion of scientific literature, covering research approaches in virology, and student presentations. For MMI 515, lectures are the same as MMI 415, but there will be an additional assignment for MMI 515 students. This course may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for MMI 415. Consent of Department required.

This course will introduce the student to inflammation and its role in a range of diseases. An overview is provided on acute and chronic inflammation. The diseases included will cover inflammatory respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, such as allergy and atherosclerosis, infection, cancer, neuroinflammation and autoimmunity. The course includes a mix of lectures and current topics discussions for students to present on recent advances in inflammation. Lectures are the same as for MMI 436, but there will be additional assignments for MMI 536. May not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained in MMI 436 or MED 536. Co/Prerequisites: Instructor consent required.

This course will focus on the interactions between clinically relevant microorganisms and the host. Topics include important issues and contemporary problems in clinical microbiology regarding infectious diseases relevant to health care. Aspects that will be studied are: pathogenesis, epidemiology, immune responses, treatment and infection control. Recent advances in vaccines, laboratory diagnosis and techniques will be included. Lectures are the same as for MMI 445, but there will be an additional assignment for MMI 545. May not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained in MMI 445. Consent of Department required.

A lecture course on the detailed mechanisms of the immune system, describing recent discoveries in cellular and molecular immunology. Topics include the mechanism of T-cell receptor selection, antigen processing, activation of B and T lymphocytes, cellular collaboration, negative and positive regulatory mechanisms in immunity, transplantation, cytokine actions and interactions, interaction between immune systems and pathogens, and immunogenetics. Lectures are the same as IMIN 452, but there will be an additional requirement of a written paper to evaluate a current topic in immunology. May not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for IMIN 452. Consent of Department required.

This lab-based course will introduce students to advanced molecular techniques for the examination of host-microbial interactions. Students will be introduced to the principles and applications of molecular and diagnostic techniques for the characterization of interactions between host cells and microbial pathogens. Key techniques include flow cytometry, fluorescence imaging, high-throughput RNA interference assays and high-content imaging. Upon completion, students will be required to design a proposal for the integration of course techniques with their thesis research projects. Prerequisite: consent of department. Credit cannot be given for 590 if students have already received credit for 490.

Selected topics in infections and immunity are explored in depth through evaluation of the primary research literature. Emphasis is on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis, host resistance, and immune regulation. Information is provided through selected readings and student seminar presentations. The primary objective is to introduce students to current research topics in infection and immunity, and develop their ability to critically evaluate, organize, and present scientific information.