ePortfolio #3

As a biology major with aspirations to attend graduate school and later a career in the medical field, I have come to recognize the impactful role that immunology plays in the development of medicine and the diagnostic processes implemented by healthcare professionals. By taking this course I have gained insight into how research contributes directly to the creation of therapeutic interventions that target various diseases. One example of this is how vaccine development is tied to our understanding of humoral and cellular immunity. In humoral immunity, when viral particles enter the body through inhalation, B cells recognize the specific antigens on the surface of the virus. Following recognition, B cells create neutralizing antibodies(1). These antibodies block entry into the respiratory tract by binding to the virus and marking it for destruction by signaled effector immune cells(2). All of this to say that in a light-bulb moment I was able to understand something as simple as why swabbing the nasal cavity is necessary for testing and diagnosis of COVID-19 or why the implementation of mask wearing was so vital in reducing its spread.  The correlation between immunological concepts and medicine has intrigued me and has made me more enthusiastic about my future in healthcare.

References

  1. Punt, J., Stranford, S., Jones, P., & Owen, J. (2019). Kuby Immunology (8th ed.). Macmillan Learning. https://store.macmillanlearning.com/us/;jsessionid=A37228D3401BC4CA570BE1C7C712CA2F.accstorefront-655f64bf49-slmhv?_ga=2.149373366.1464161725.1700273893-35203620.1694702811
  2. Wherry, J. E., & Barouch, D. H. (2022). T cell immunity to COVID-19 vaccines. Science. 377,821-822(2022). DOI:10.1126/science.add2897. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add2897