Molecular Virology and Immunology

The importance of viruses for the evolution of life is paramount. The pandemic caused by SARS-Cov-2 has underlined the impact viruses can have on all areas of human society. In this course we will discuss the principles that viruses employ to infect bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. We will discuss how viruses evolve and look at the main mechanisms of immune defense of hosts, including CRISPR-Cas, adaptive immunity and RNAi. We will discuss bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic viruses through a series of lectures, masterclasses, and a final poster presentation. We will invite leading virologists in the Netherlands for a masterclass to bring in cutting edge insights into virus biology.

1 assessment: final written exam, question preparation for masterclasses, group poster presentation

1a exam is scheduled in 3.10

2 resit exam is scheduled in 4.10

3 there is no assignment resit.

4 final grade: final written exam 60%, question preparation for masterclass 10%, group poster presentations 30%

5. registration is done via osiris for written exam, and students who are enrolled in Brightspace will receive grades for assignments.

6. Students needing to turn work in late due to personal circumstances must contact the Academic Counsellor prior to turning it in to make arrangements. Other late work might not be graded.