BMS11100 Advanced Immunology Assessment Brief 2025-26

BMS11100 Assessment Brief

IMMUNOLOGY PROJECT ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to write a short communication based on the work you carried out in the lab practical’s, following the instructions below. The document you generate will be assessed and marks allocated for each section as outlined below.

Note: Normally, an introduction and methodology would be required, but these will be provided for you in this assessment so you can focus on the presenting the work you did within the lab. Please read the supplied introduction and methodology carefully and refer back to it (including using the references) where appropriate.

Sections and Marks Breakdown

Hypothesis: No word limit
[5 marks]

• Clearly state the hypothesis you are testing, grounded in the project's context: whether Trichuris trichiura excretory/secretory products (ESPs) can modulate macrophage activation in an in vitro model relevant to rheumatoid arthritis. Focus on the expected effect of ESPs on LPS-induced pro-inflammatory induction, specifically IL-8 production.

Results: Target word count: 300 words (excluding graphs and figure legends) [40 marks]

In the Results section, you should include a clear and concise written description of your findings from the experiment. This includes morphological observations of the THP-1 cells and the quantitative IL-8 data obtained from the ELISA. This section should focus on describing your data/observations, but this should be done providing context within the scope of your research question with clarity over what the experimental conditions/controls tell you. You should present two figures, each with an accompanying figure legend that provides sufficient context and detail to understand the data presented.

1.    Written Descriptions:

• Provide a description of the cell morphology observations, highlighting any visible changes across the different treatment groups.
• Summarize the key findings from the IL-8 ELISA data, focusing on the IL-8 levels across treatment conditions without interpreting these results.

2.    Figures and Legends:

•  Figure 1: Include representative images of THP-1 cells from each treatment condition (e.g., Control, PMA-treated, PMA + LPS-treated, and PMA + LPS + ESP-treated). Ensure that each image is labelled with the relevant treatment condition. The accompanying legend should briefly describe the experimental setup and note any significant morphological differences between conditions.
  
  
• Figure 2: Present the IL-8 concentration data as a bar chart. Label the x-axis with the treatment groups (e.g., "Control," "PMA only," "PMA + LPS," "PMA + LPS + ESP") and the y-axis with “IL-8 concentration (pg/mL).” The figure legend should explain the experimental conditions, detail any statistical significance observed, and provide context for interpreting the IL-8 levels in relation to the treatment groups.

Note: There is no need to include the standard curve used for cytokine concentration calculation in the main results section. You may include it as an appendix if desired, but it will not be assessed.
Discussion: Target word count: 300 words     [40 marks]

• Interpretation of Results: Discuss the results obtained, explaining any observed trends or unexpected outcomes. Address the implications of the ESP's effect on IL-8 levels in the context of modulating macrophage activity in rheumatoid arthritis.
•  Context with Current Literature: Compare your findings with existing literature on helminth ESPs and their immunomodulatory effects, specifically in autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. Reference at least 3-4 relevant studies (use APA-7 citation style). Consider discussing potential mechanisms by which T. trichiura ESPs might impact macrophage activation, particularly via pathways like NF-κB that influence cytokine production.

Conclusion: Target word count: 60 words [5 marks]

• Summarise the main findings of your experiment in relation to the hypothesis. Clearly state your conclusion on whether the ESP demonstrated an anti- inflammatory effect by suppressing IL-8 production in the THP-1 macrophage- like model.

Reference List

[10 marks]

• Compile a list of references in APA-7 format. Marks will be awarded based on the relevance and scope of the references, correct citation within the text, and proper formatting in the reference list.

Additional Notes

• Clarity and Structure: Ensure that each section is well-organised and adheres to the word limits specified.
• Data Presentation: Follow guidelines for presenting figures and label each axis and figure legend comprehensively.
• Objectivity: In the Results section, focus on describing what the data shows rather than interpreting its significance. Save interpretation and broader context for the Discussion. (You should however, describe the results in the context of the research question and the experimental conditions – if unsure look for examples in published literature) 

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