B6 fin Flashcards
How does vaccines protect you from pathogens
Small amounts,of dead or inactive pathogens are put in the body, antigens from the vaccine make your white blood cells destroy them without you getting any disease and as your white blood cell made antibody for the pathogen it is ready for the live pathogen
What is herd immunity
If a large proportion of the population is immune to a disease, the pathogen spread is reduced and may disappear, if a large amount of people stop taking vaccines against a pathogen then herd immunity can be lost and the disease may reappear
What can antibiotics not do
Cannot kill viral pathogens as it will damage your own cells at the same time. Strains of bacteria that can resistant antibiotics are evolving.
What is a drug from foxglove plant
Digoxin it helps strengthen the heartbeat
Where does painkiller originate from
It was from a compound found in the bark of willow trees, Felix Hoffman synthesised it 1897
What is a good medicine
Effective- must prevent,cure a disease or to make you feel better. Safe- must not be too toxic or have horrible side effects. Stable- must be able to store in normal conditions and store for some time. Must be able to taken into and out of your body.
What are preclinical tests
When new medicines are tested on animals
What are clinical tests
When a new medicine is tested on humans to check for side effects and how much dosage should be taken
What are double blind tests
A group of patients with the target disease are given the new medicine with some of them getting a placebo that does not contain the drug, the doctors handing them out and recording the results, do not know where the placebos and real drugs are.
What are lymphocytes
White blood cells that make antibodies but don’t divide
What are tumour cells
Cells that divide rapidly but don’t usually divide
What are a hybridoma cell
The combined tumour and lymphocyte cells
How are monoclonal antibodies made
The hybridoma cells divide to make large amounts of identical cells that produce the same antibodies which are collected and purified which are monoclonal antibodies
What as well as monoclonal antibodies can act as an antigen
Protein molecules on the surface of cells
What are monoclonal antibodies used for
- Pregnancy tests
- diagnosis of disease, they carry the markers that build up making it easy for the doctor to see
- research
How are monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancer
- they trigger immune system to attack the cancer cells
- blocking receptors on cancer cells to stop them from dividing and growing
- carry radioactive substances to kill the cancer cells directly
Pros of using monoclonal antibodies
- can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions
- could become cheaper in the future
Cons of monoclonal antibodies
- can trigger an immune response in humans
Where penicillin from
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming from the Penicillium
mould.
