Curriculum
Module 16 · 70 min
Cellular Immunology Essentials
Innate sensors, T- and B-cell biology, immune synapses, and the cells we steer with checkpoint blockade.
CoreClinicalResearch
Topics
What this module covers
- 01PRRs: TLRs, NLRs, RLRs, cGAS-STING
- 02Inflammasomes (NLRP3) and IL-1 biology
- 03Antigen processing and presentation: MHC I and II
- 04T-cell receptor signalling and the immune synapse
- 05B-cell development, somatic hypermutation, class switch
- 06Regulatory T cells and peripheral tolerance
- 07Checkpoint biology: CTLA-4, PD-1/PD-L1, LAG-3, TIGIT
Deep dives
Lesson sub-pages
Learning objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to
- L01Trace antigen from uptake to MHC presentation by class.
- L02Explain why CTLA-4 and PD-1 blockade have different tissue toxicity profiles.
- L03Discuss why some 'cold' tumours fail to respond to checkpoint blockade.
Expected takeaways
What you should walk away believing
- →Innate sensing via cGAS-STING is now therapeutically targeted, not just academic.
- →Checkpoint blockade unmasks pre-existing T-cell responses — it doesn't create them.
- →Bispecifics and CAR-T address situations where checkpoint blockade fails.
Core summary
At the Core level
The immune system is a cellular network: sentinel cells sense danger, antigen-presenting cells process and present, T cells discriminate and execute, B cells make antibodies, regulatory cells brake. Each step is now a drug target.
Evidence-graded claims
Claims, scored A–F
A
Pembrolizumab is approved for MSI-H tumours regardless of organ
First tumour-agnostic FDA approval (2017).
F
All cancer patients should receive checkpoint blockade
Many tumours unresponsive; risk of severe irAE; needs biomarker selection.
C
Microbiome composition predicts checkpoint response
Repeatedly observed; faecal microbiota transfer trials show modest signals.
Quiz
Check your understanding
Q1. MHC class I presents:
Q2. Cytokine release syndrome after CAR-T is driven principally by:
Flashcards
Lock it in
1 / 3
Front
cGAS-STING activator?
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Suggested reading
Primary literature
- Cancer immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade — Ribas & Wolchok, Science 2018 ↗
- The cGAS-STING pathway as a therapeutic target — Decout et al., Nat Rev Immunol 2021 ↗