博士学位是高级研究学位，旨在反映与候选人担任独立研究科学家的能力一致的培训水平。这涉及成功完成反映现代免疫学知识的课程工作，并具有进行可发表质量研究的证明能力。要获得该学位的资格，每个候选人都必须成功地获得候选人资格，根据他/她的原始研究提交令人满意的论文，并在期末口试中成功地为其辩护。博士学位论文应包含大量的原始研究成果，其数量应与在经认可的参考期刊上发表的两三篇论文相适应。通常，这些手稿中至少有一份应在考试时被接受发表。<br> <br>免疫系统是从骨髓中的造血前体细胞发育而来的。这些前体经过几轮细胞
The Department of Immunology offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in a wide range of immunological disciplines. These disciplines include molecular mechanisms of lymphocyte development and selection, T-cell and B-cell receptors, cell interactions, growth factor receptors, cytokine networks, antigen processing and presentation, signal transduction in lymphocytes, V(D)J recombination, anergy, apoptosis, transgenic and knock-out models, immuno-targeting and vaccine design, autoimmunity, AIDS, diabetes, and transplantation.<br>The department provides a common forum for investigators in many areas of U of T and an interdisciplinary research experience in immunology. Members and students in the department are located at the Medical Sciences Building, at the Ontario Cancer Institute, and at the Research Institutes of Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Sunnybrook Hospital. The PhD degree is an advanced research degree intended to reflect a level of training consistent with the ability of the candidate to function as an independent research scientist. This involves successful completion of course work reflecting a knowledge of modern immunology, as well as a demonstrated ability to carry out research of publishable quality.<br>The immune system develops from hematopoietic precursor cells in the bone marrow. These precursors go through rounds of cell division and differentiation to give rise to the various different lymphoid and non-lymphoid lineages that go to make up the innate and adaptive immune systems. Myeloid cells of the innate immune system develop under the control of a variety of hematopoietic growth and differentiation factors which are orchestrated to result in the continuous production of the appropriate amounts of each cell type. Lymphoid cells of the adaptive immune system also start their development in the bone marrow. B lymphocytes responsible for the eventual production of antibodies develop along a pathway that requires rearrangement of the immunoglobulin genes to generate the vast array of individual B cell specificities and indeed, the normal progression of B cell development is regulated by the expression of immunoglobulin molecules.