Norm, Shaun and Terence are joined by fellow medical student Natalie, who has a PhD in immunology, to discuss innate and adaptive immunity. Natalie studied the regulation of the innate immune system in preterm neonates, focusing on toll-like receptors and how their expression can regulate the transcription of various genes associated with inflammation. 

Shout-out to Ben Earner! 

Content covered in this episode includes: 

- The first line of defense: physical and chemical barriers 

- Key cells and proteins associated with the innate immune response such as neutrophils, macrophages, complement, cytokines, etc

- Acute vs chronic inflammatory responses 

- MHC classes 1 vs 2

- The initiation of the adaptive immune response 

- B and T cell structure and function