B6 - Preventing And Treating Disease Flashcards
How does a vaccine work?
Introducing small amounts of dead/inactive forms of pathogens into the body to stimulate white blood cells to produce antibodies. Memory cells remain so if the pathogen re-enters the blood cells respond quickly - preventing infection
Do vaccines protect against bacterial or viral diseases?
Both
If a large proportion of the population is immune to the disease….
The spread of the pathogen is reduced.
Do painkillers kill the pathogens?
No. They merely treat symptoms.
What can’t antibiotics destroy? Why?
Viruses. Because they reproduce inside the cells and is difficult to develop drugs that kill the virus without damaging cells
Difference between penicillin and paracetamol?
Paracetamol = painkillers Penicillin = antibiotic and kills the bacteria
Why is the emergence of strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria such a huge worry?
- Don’t work = can’t treat disease.
* Unless a new antibiotic is discovered soon, we may not be able to cure bacterial diseases - millions will die.
Who discovered penicillin and where?
Alexander Fleming l, penicillium mould
Stages of development of drugs? (5)
• Tested in lab to see if toxic
• Tested on animals to see effect on a whole living organism
^^^^^^ PRECLINICAL ^^^^^^^^
• given to healthy volunteers and patients - low doses to see side effects
• if safe, tried of a small amount of people to see effect of disease
• Bigger clinical trials to find optimum dose
^^^^^^^^^ CLINICAL TRAILS ^^^^^^^^^
New drugs are tested for…. (3)
Efficiency, toxicity and dosage
What is a double blind trial?
Neither patient or doctor knows which patients have received a placebo and which have received that actual drug
Why are double blind trials used? (2)
- avoid bias because no one knows
- controls psychological effects
Stages of forming monoclonal antibodies? (6)
- Mouse injected with antigen to stimulate production of specific lymphocyte
- lymphocyte combined with tumour cell
- to form hybridoma cell
- hybridoma cell divides and forms clones of itself
- cells produce a lot of the antibody
- antibody is collected and purified
Where do preclinical trials take place?
laboratory, on cells, tissues and live organisms
Clinical trials use…
healthy volunteers and patients - low doses to test safety and higher doses to find optimum dose
