1.1 Laboratory Techniques

Question 1

What is a hazard

Answer 1

Anything that poses a potential threat to an individual or the environment

Question 2

What is a risk

Answer 2

The likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard

Question 3

What is a risk assessment

Answer 3

A full consideration of all the hazards and the potential risk with controls that can be taken to minimise the risk

Question 4

What is a linear dilution

Answer 4

When a series of dilutions differ by an equal interval

Question 5

What is a serial dilution

Answer 5

When a series of dilutions differ by a constant proportion

Question 6

What is a standard curve used for

Answer 6

To determine the concentration of a solution

Question 7

What do buffers do

Answer 7

Allow the pH of a reaction mixture to be kept constant

Question 8

What is centrifugation used for

Answer 8

To separate substances of differing density

Question 9

What are the 2 different types of chromatography

Answer 9

TLC and Affinity

Question 10

What is TLC used for

Answer 10

Separating substances based on thing such as amino acids and sugars

Question 11

What is affinity chromatography used for

Answer 11

Used for separating proteins

Question 12

Name the 2 types of gel electrophoresis

Answer 12

Native gel and SDS page

Question 13

What is gel electrophoresis used for

Answer 13

Separating proteins and nucleic acids

Question 14

What is native gal electrophoresis used for

Answer 14

Separating proteins based of off their shape, size and charge and does not denature the molecule

Question 15

What is SDS Page gel electrophoresis used for

Answer 15

Separating proteins based on size alone

Question 16

How does SDS page gel electrophoresis work

Answer 16

All proteins are denatured and given a uniformly negative charge

Question 17

What is the iso electric point

Answer 17

The pH at which a soluble protein has no net charge/neutral

Question 18

What happens at the IEP

Answer 18

They precipitate out of solution

Question 19

What are Immunoassay techniques used for

Answer 19

To detect and identify specific proteins

Question 20

What do immunoassays use

Answer 20

Stocks of antibodies with the same specificity

Question 21

What are monoclonal antibodies

Answer 21

Antibodies that are derived from a single clone of cells and recognise and bind to a single part of an antigen

Question 22

What can bright field microscopy be used to view

Answer 22

Whole or parts of an organism, thin sections of dissected tissue or individual cells

Question 23

How does fluorescent microscopy work

Answer 23

Uses specific fluorescent labels to bind to certain molecules within cells or tissue. By tagging a particular part of a sample even specific proteins can show up.

Question 24

What is aseptic technique

Answer 24

All the systems that are used to eliminate unwanted contaminants when culturing micro-organisms

Question 25

How can a microbial culture be started

Answer 25

Using an inoculum of cells on an agar medium

Question 26

Name a benefit of growing cells in a culture

Answer 26

They are much more easily manipulated

Question 27

What does a medium that promotes the growth of animals cells contain

Answer 27

Growth factors from serum

Question 28

What is a primary cell line

Answer 28

Can divide a limited number of times & derived from normal tissue

Question 29

What is a tumour cell line

Answer 29

Can perform unlimited division & derived from tumors

Question 30

What is vita staining used for

Answer 30

To identify and count viable cells

Question 31

What is a haemocytometer

Answer 31

Used to estimate cell numbers in a liquid culture. (Direct cell count can then be used to calculate cell density)

Question 32

Give 2 disadvantages of a haemocytometer

Answer 32

Dead cells are not distinguished from live cells, and it is time consuming