An Elegant Defense - 7 weeks, 2nd Half
F 2020

This SDG was approved and presented as a 14week experience in Fall 2019. At the request of many Plato members, it has been transformed as a revised 7week SDG, revised to meet the current needs of the global pandemic of covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Whereas the previous SDG focused on the immune system and a number of fundamental concepts in the field of immunology, this revised SDG focuses on the science of infectious diseases (viral, bacterial, and yeast/fungi) as illustrated in our current covid19 global crisis. Specifically, the interface between a highly infectious RNA coronavirus, the human immune system, normal versus dysfunctional immune responses, the role of the dendritic cells to regulate antigen presentation and antibody formation, and opportunities for therapeutic treatments as well as prevention by human behaviors and vaccines. 

1. Introduction to “an elegant defense” (a story of immunology and microbiology as expressed in the language of war during a global pandemic that impacts 9 billion people living in 180 nations in 2020)
2. The genesis of the immune system (innate and adaptive immune systems) and regulation by the ubiquitous dendritic cells, T-cells and B-cells
3. The “secret sauce” for human adaptations throughout the biosphere (diversity in antibody specificity via alternative splicing mechanisms)
4. RNA viral mutations that generate diverse strains of covid-19 versus design and production of vaccines (antigens, neutralizing antibodies, persistence of antibodies or vaccine protection)
5. Curious applications of using viral induce immunotherapy to treat human infectious bacterial diseases
6. Flowers that bloom in the bitter soil of the covid-19 crisis
7. Summary: the role of the elegant defense from plague (bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic) as an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain animals, and humans, to HIV and AIDS, to the current covid-19 pandemic and prospects for the immediate f

To establish our foundation for shared inquiry we will primarily use Internet access content appropriate to the non-scientist and theme for each week. The content will be provided by the Coordinator before we begin the SDG using Zoom (no more than 30 pages per week).

In addition, for even more ambitious PLATO participants we recommend three following resources:

Massoud Mahmoudi (2016) Immunology made ridiculously simple. MedMaster, Inc., Miami.

Lauren Sompayrac (2019) How the Immune System Works. Sixth Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, New Jersey.

Matt Richtel (Pulitzer Prize Winner) (2019) An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of The Immune System (A Tale in Four Lives). William Morrow, An Imprint of Harper-Collins Publishers, New York.