Microbiology and Immunology

MI 104/204. Innate Immunology—(Undergraduates register for 104.) Innate immune mechanisms as the only defenses used by the majority of multicellular organisms. Topics include Toll signaling, NK cells, complement, antimicrobial peptides, phagocytes, neuroimmunity, community responses to infection, and the role of native flora in immunity. How microbes induce and defeat innate immune reactions, including examples from vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants.
3 units, Spr (Schneider, D)

MI 209. Advanced Pathogenesis of Bacteria, Viruses, and Eukaryotic Parasites: Part I—For graduate students and advanced undergraduates; required of first-year graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology. Emphasis is on mechanisms to establish infection in the host and responses of the host to infection. Current literature. Prerequisite: background in biochemistry and molecular biology.
4 units, Win (Sarnow, P)

MI 210. Advanced Pathogenesis of Bacteria, Viruses, and Eukaryotic Parasites: Part II—For graduate and medical students, and advanced undergraduates; required of first-year graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology. The molecular mechanisms by which microorganisms invade animal and human hosts, express their genomes, interact with macromolecular pathways in the infected host, and induce disease. Current literature.
4 units, Spr (Chen, C)

MI 211. Advanced Immunology I—(Same as IMMUNOL 201.) For graduate and medical students and advanced undergraduates. Molecules and cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems; genetics, structure, and function of immune molecules; lymphocyte differentiation and activation; regulation of immune responses; autoimmunity and other problems in immune system dysfunction. Prerequisites: undergraduate course in Immunology and familiarity with experimental approaches in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology.
3 units, Win (Chien, Y)

MI 212. Advanced Immunology II—(Same as IMMUNOL 202.) Readings of immunological literature. Classic problems and emerging areas based on primary literature. Student and faculty presentations. Prerequisite: IMMUNOL 201.
3 units, Spr (Garcia, K)

MI 214. Biodefense and Biosecurity—Science and policy behind American and international biosecurity and biodefense. Is the international community prepared to defend against a naturally-occurring disease or a bioterror attack? Topics include the scope of the problem, agent pathogenesis, threat of biological weapons, responding to a biological attack, microbial forensics, international health, the threat of naturally emerging infectious disease, and policy against these threats. Guest lecturers.
2 units, offered occasionally

MI 215. Principles of Biological Technologies—(Same as IMMUNOL 215.) Required of first-year graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology, and the Immunology program. The principles underlying commonly utilized technical procedures in biological research. Lectures and primary literature critiques on gel electrophoresis, protein purification and stabilization, immunofluorescence microscopy, FACS. Prerequisites: biochemistry, organic chemistry, and physics.
3 units, Spr (Kirkegaard, K)

MI 232. Topics in Regenerative Medicine—(Same as DBIO 232.) Forum. Students and researchers discuss current developments in regenerative medicine at Stanford to spark collaboration. Topics include novel applications in biological and chemical engineering, stem cell biology, biotechnology, and human disease. May be repeated for credit.
2 units, Aut, Win, Spr (Blau, H; Fuller, M)

MI 233. The Biology of Small Modulatory RNAs—(Same as GENE 233, PATH 233.) Open to graduate and medical students. How recent discoveries of miRNA, RNA interference, and short interfering RNAs reveal potentially widespread gene regulatory mechanisms mediated by small modulatory RNAs during animal and plant development. Required paper proposing novel research.
2 units, Aut (Fire, A; Chen, C), alternate years, not given next year

MI 250. Frontiers in Microbiology and Immunology—Required of first- and second-year students in Microbiology and Immunology. How to evaluate biological research. Held in conjunction with the Microbiology and Immunology Friday noon seminar series. Before the seminar, students and faculty discuss one or more papers from the speaker’s primary research literature on a related topic. After the seminar, students meet informally with the speaker to discuss their research.
1 unit, Aut, Win, Spr (Schneider, D)

MI 299. Directed Reading in Microbiology and Immunology— Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
1-18 units, Aut, Win, Spr, Sum (Staff)

MI 399. Graduate Research—Students who have completed the necessary foundation courses undertake investigations in general bacteriology, bacterial physiology and ecology, bacterial genetics, microbial pathogenicity, immunology, parasitology, or virology sponsored by individual faculty members. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
1-18 units, Aut, Win, Spr, Sum (Staff)