Introductory Immunology

Jeffrey K. Actor, PhD, is a professor and Medical Immunology Course Director in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Center at Houston. Dr. Actor received his PhD degree from the University of Massachusetts. His research interests include examination of host immune responses during pathogenic disease, understanding proinflammatory and regulatory cytokines during mycobacterial infections, vaccine development, and molecular mechanisms of adjuvant-induced immunomodulation. Professor Actor has established himself as a productive educator-scientist with a strong background in immunology and molecular biology with a broad range of expertise in pathobiology. He has shown his commitment to education and excellence, at both the Medical School and Graduate School levels.

1. Overview of immune components 2. Host immune defenses 3. Systems and cells 4. Innate and adaptive components 5. Immune reactions 6. How we defend against infectious agents 7. Bacteria and mycobacteria 8. Viral agents 9. HIV/AIDS 10. Fungal and parasitic organisms 11. Basic disorders of immune function 12. Autoimmunities 13. Allergies, asthma, and endocrinology 14. Vaccines and Immunotherapy 15. How vaccines function 16. Vaccines: Truths and myths 17. Immunopharmacology 18. Immunity and aging 19. Cancer immunology 20. Natural defense against tumors 21. Cancers of the immune system 22. Transplantation