The study of immunology is the study of the development, anatomy functions and biochemistry malfunctions of the immune system, fundamental aspects to understanding human disease. Biochemistry is the study of how cells work at molecular level. Biochemistry (and the related field of molecular biology) are both important in the understanding the molecular basis of life, along with its role in the disease process (relating to immunology- studying the immune system). The immune system is made up of many types of molecules and cells that are in every tissue of the body, including specialized lymphoid organs, (which act in a together to prevent or stop microbial infections), to suppress or stop the growth of tumors, and to repair damaged tissue. Studying immunology and receiving a degree will allow you to succeed in many fields of biomedicine such as neuroscience, cardiovascular research, immunopharmacology, industrial immunology, drug research, biochemistry, microbiology and bacteriology. When studying clinical biochemistry and immunology, students use many different types of basic qualitative and quantitative methods of research and analysis in studying liquids such as blood, plasma, urine, etc to search for specific chemical patterns or processes. Biochemist immunologists also used methods of applied research to create new diagnostic clinical laboratory tests to identify or monitor disease, disease processes, or treatment of disease. Testing that uses applied research in immunology include evaluation of immune factors causing disease, monitoring chemical response to cancer treatment, evaluation chemical’s reaction to toxic drugs and metals, and many more. A recent current event in the field of biochemistry and immunology is that researchers at Harvard Medical School have been studying the field of biochem-Immunology for basic research, and they have made some recent discoveries using new technology and methods of studying that could change the medical field forever. They have been working on research developing many new therapies (which include Transcriptional profiling and proteomics of the many different subsets and functional states of the cells of the immune system, in vivo confocal and multiphoton imaging of pathogen-host cell interactions, and studies of the manipulations of the intestinal microbiome on immune responses and autoimmune disease), but one of the most intriguing ones and one where they have made a fairly large discovery in by basic research is their findings in evaluating blockades of T cell inhibitory molecules, which they found could possibly work as a cure to cancer. Inhibitory receptors (iRs) are frequently associated with “T cell exhaustion”. However, the expression of iRs is also dependent on T cell differentiation and activation. Therapeutic blockade of various iRs, also referred to as “checkpoint blockade”, is showing unprecedented results in the treatment of cancer patients. The phenomenal clinical impact of the therapeutic blockade of iRs to restore T cell function in cancer (as outlined in the last parts of our review) has greatly contributed to the widespread acknowledgment of the functional importance of iRs.
Chart relating immunology, biology, and chemistry.
Video thoroughly explaining immunology and its relation with cancer (Harvard’s research)
Works Cited:
http://www.nature.com/nrc/journal/v12/n4/full/nrc3239.html
I didn't realize that studying biochemistry and immunology could open up so many different career pathways or could be so applicable to every day life. That's so neat!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this discussion post I start to wonder, if white blood cell is also part of the immune system? The reason why I was unsure if white blood cell is part of the immune system or not is because the white blood cell is produce from the bone narrow.
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