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Unit of study_

SURG5021: Surgical Immunology

2024 unit information

Inflammation and immunopathology are encountered frequently in surgical practice, in settings such as acute pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and rejection of organ transplants. Manipulation of the immune system through treatment with checkpoint inhibitors and other forms of immunotherapy is assuming increasing importance in the treatment of malignant melanoma and various other cancers. This unit of study will introduce students to the fundamental aspects of innate and cognate immune responses and their relationship to the clinical manifestations of some common surgical conditions.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Surgery

Code SURG5021
Academic unit Surgery
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Describe the components of the innate and adaptive immune systems and how their activities contribute to the pathogenesis of conditions including acute pancreatitis, necrotising fasciitis, ulcerative colitis, ischaemia-reperfusion injury and transplant rejection.
  • LO2. Assess the evidence for the efficacy of various surgical and medical interventions in the management of conditions including acute pancreatitis, necrotising fasciitis, and ulcerative colitis.
  • LO3. Identify the ways in which cancer suppresses the immune system and the types of cancer immunotherapy which specifically target these.
  • LO4. Analyse the evidence supporting the use of cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of solid tumours.
  • LO5. Analyse the relative contributions of innate and adaptive immunity to organ damage following transplantation.
  • LO6. Compare and contrast transplant immunosuppression with the induction of immunological tolerance to transplanted organs.
  • LO7. Discuss the usefulness of biomarkers and other tests in monitoring post-transplant immune responses and individualising treatment.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2023
Online Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.