B6. Preventing and treating disease Flashcards
What is vaccination?
Vaccination introduces dead or inactive pathogens into the body in order to induce immunity
What role do white blood cells play in vaccination?
White blood cells recognise the antigens in a vaccine and produce specific antibodies
How does vaccination lead to long-term immunity
Vaccination leads to long term immunity because when someone infected again by the same pathogen, white blood cells quickly produce the correct antibodies and the symptoms of infection do not arise
What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics are medicinal drugs that kill pathogenic bacteria
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria survive exposure to antibiotics that would normally kill them or inhibit their growth
What is the role of painkillers in disease treatment?
Painkillers are used to treat the symptoms of disease but do not treat the source of any infection
Why is it difficult to treat diseases caused by viruses?
It is difficult to treat diseases caused by viruses because viruses infect body cells. This means that destroying viruses without damaging body tissue is chao,enginf
What are some traditional sources of medicinal drugs?
Digitalis originates from foxgloves
Aspirin originates from willow
Penicillin comes from penicillium mould
How are most new drugs developed today?
Most new drugs are synthesised by chemists in the pharmaceutical industry, although the starting point may still be chemical extracted from a plant
What is preclinical drug testing?
Preclinical drug testing is done in a laboratory using cells, tissues and live animals
What is the purpose of clinical drug trials?
Clinical drug trials are conducted to test the safety, efficacy, and optimal dosage of new drugs
What is a double-blind drug trial?
In a double-blind trial some patients are given a placebo, and neither the doctor nor the patient knows whether each patient is receiving the placebo or the active drug
Define the term placebo
A placebo is an inert substance given to some participants in clinical trials instead of a true drug. Its role is to eliminate the effects of the brain and expectations on any results
What is the purpose of testing new drugs on animals?
The purpose of testing new drugs on animals is to see the effect of medicines on a whole organism
How are clinical trials conducted?
- Very low doses of the drug are given to healthy volunteers to test safety
- Patients with relevant medical conditions take part in the trial, often using a double-blind study, to test efficacy and find the lowest effective dose
Define the term monoclonal antibody.
Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that all come from clones of a single white blood cell. They are specific to one antigen
Describe the main steps in the production of monoclonal antibodies
- A mouse is injected with antigens to stimulate mouse lymphocytes to produce the required antibodies
- The lymphocytes are combined with a tumour cell to make a hybridoma cell
- The hybridoma cell is then cloned to produce many identical cells producing the same antibody
What is a hybridoma cell?
A hybridoma cell is a cell produced by combining a lymphocyte with a type of tumour cell
Define the term lymphocyte.
A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell involved in the specific immune response
Why can monoclonal antibody production be considered unethical?
Mice are used, raising ethical issues with the treatment of animals
There may be ethical concerns around the cultivation of tumour cells
How can monoclonal antibodies be used?
In diagnosis
To measure the levels of specific hormones or other chemicals in the blood
To identify certain cells or molecules within the body
In the treatment of certain diseases
How can monoclonal antibodies be used to indicate pregnancy?
Monoclonal antibodies can be used to indicate pregnancy by using them in pregnancy tests. The antibodies bind to a hormone released during pregnancy
Why can monoclonal antibodies be used to identify and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells found in the same location?
Monoclonal antibodies can be used to identify and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells because the antibodies bind to specific proteins that are displayed by cancer cells but not by healthy body cells