practical training

The "Immunology" practical course takes place regularly in the 5th semester (winter semester) and is held in groups of two in courses of 12-14 students in the "Applied Immunology" laboratory in rooms 00 E 48-54. A catch-up course is usually offered in the summer semester. Please refer to the department's homepage for information on how to enrol.

All important dates and starting times as well as the status of your enrolment can be found in the campus course catalogue.

Your enrolment in the respective ILIAS course is automatic. You will receive an ILIAS system message.

All documents relating to the practical course (script, theory documents, keyword list for the entrance examination, learning modules, other information) as well as the allocation for the entrance examination can be found in your ILIAS course on the ILIAS server under Vera Thönnessen.

Please address all questions regarding the practical immunology course to Vera Thönnessen(thoennessenfh-aachen.de).

Admission to the practical training takes place

• after successful registration (see announcement on the Chemistry and Biotechnology Department homepage) and
• if at least 60 credit points from the core studies are available; for participation in the winter semester: credit points must be available by the deadline of 31 May, i.e. after the spring examination period; for participation in the summer semester: credit points must be available by the deadline of 30 November of the previous year, i.e. after the autumn examination period
• after passing the oral entrance examination for practical training with Prof. Öhlschläger

You can find helpful documents (keyword list) for preparing for the oral entrance examination in your ILIAS course on the ILIAS server under Vera Thönnessen.

The successfully completed practical training will be recognised after:

• Successful participation in the 8 experimental days in the "Applied Immunology" laboratory and in the final seminar with presentation of the experimental results on the 9th day of the internship.
• Recognition of the test protocols for the practical course experiments

The corresponding notification to the Examination Office is then made by Prof. Öhlschläger.

In the longer theoretical introduction (3-4 hours in total) after the first practical work, Prof Öhlschläger introduces the topic of "Therapeutic vaccination against cervical cancer based on a DNA vaccine". This explains the connection between a natural HPV 16 infection, the development of cervical cancer as a secondary disease and its treatment by vaccination with an innovative DNA vaccine ("immunisation"). The DNA vaccine in question codes for a modified HPV16-E7 protein, a component of the humanpapillomavirustype 16 (HPV 16), which is responsible for the majority of cervical cancers. The immune response resulting from immunisation is quantified and assessed using various methods as part of the practical training.

This introduction serves to better understand and categorise the practical course experiments. Our practical course experiments are extracts from the topic of vaccine development with the associated scope of investigation (preclinical; clinical phases).

Over the course of the other experimental days (9 days in total, including the first day and the final seminar on the last day), the theoretical background of each of the upcoming experiments is taught in smaller theoretical units in the laboratory.

On the last day of practical training, the students present their experimental results to the course in groups with a corresponding discussion.

Please bring with you to the practical training:

• The current version of the practical course script in digital or printed form
• Theory documents for the introduction and theoretical instructions in the laboratory by Prof. Öhlschläger
• Safety goggles
• Lab coat(clean, i.e. autoclaved/disinfected and then washed to avoid contamination of the cultures during practical training)
• Digital or bound laboratory notebook (no loose sheets!) and writing materials if necessary
• Edding 3000 and 400 or comparable

The following publications are helpful as background information on the topic of practical training and can be accessed on the FH Aachen intranet via the links provided:

• Ohlschläger P, Spies E, Alvarez G, Quetting M, Groettrup M.

The combination of TLR-9 adjuvantation and electroporation-mediated delivery enhances in vivo antitumour responses after vaccination with HPV-16 E7 encoding DNA.

Int J Cancer. 2011 Jan 15;128(2):473-81.

• Öhlschläger P, Quetting M, Alvarez G, Dürst M, Gissmann L, Kaufmann AM.

Enhancement of immunogenicity of a therapeutic cervical cancer DNA-based vaccine by co-application of sequence-optimised genetic adjuvants.

Int J Cancer. 2009 Jul 1;125(1):189-98.