B6 preventing and treating disease

Question 1

what are antigens

Answer 1

unique proteins on cell surface that recognise the different antigens on microorganisms

Question 2

how do white blood cells help prevent disease

Answer 2

they make specific antibodies which join with the antigens and inactivate or destroy the pathogen

Question 3

what are memory cells

Answer 3

white blood cells that ‘remember’ the right antibody needed to destroy a pathogen and then make the same antibody quickly to destroy the pathogen

Question 4

what is a vaccine

Answer 4

made of dead or inactivated form of a disease causing microorganism which stimulates the body’s natural immune response to invading pathogens

Question 5

what is herd immunity

Answer 5

when a large proportion of the population are vaccinated and therefore immune to a disease meaning the spread of that pathogen is reduced and may disappear

Question 6

what are pain killers

Answer 6

they relieve symptoms but don’t kill pathogens or cure you

Question 7

what are antibiotics

Answer 7

they work inside the body to kill bacterial pathogens without harming your body cells

Question 8

what are antiseptics and disinfectants

Answer 8

they kill bacteria outside the body but are too poisonous to use inside the body as they would kill your body cells

Question 9

why don’t antibiotics kill virus

Answer 9

because they don’t harm body cells and viruses are inside cells so it’s difficult to kill viruses without harming the cells

Question 10

what is antibiotic resistance

Answer 10

a mutation in bacteria that enable it to not be killed by antibiotics

Question 11

what is preclinical testing

Answer 11

testing chemicals for potential medicines on cells, tissues and live animals

Question 12

what are clinical trials

Answer 12

medicine tested on healthy volunteers and patients that can then be prescribed by doctors if it passes

Question 13

what are double blind trials

Answer 13

when 1/2 the patients/volunteers are given the new drug and half are given a placebo

Question 14

what are lymphocytes

Answer 14

white blood cells that make antibodies but can’t divide

Question 15

what are monoclonal antibodies

Answer 15

proteins that are produced to target particular cells or chemicals in the body

Question 16

how are monoclonal antibodies used in pregnancy tests

Answer 16

by binding to the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin that is made in the early stages of pregnancy

Question 17

how are monoclonal antibodies used in diagnosis of disease

Answer 17

they bind to specific antigens found on pathogens, blood clots or cancer cells

Question 18

how are monoclonal antibodies used in measuring and monitoring

Answer 18

in hospitals and labs to measure/ monitor the levels or hormones or other chemicals in blood e.g. screening donated blood for HIV

Question 19

how are monoclonal antibodies used in research

Answer 19

to locate/ identify specific molecules in cells or tissues. they produce the monoclonal antibodies linked to a fluorescent dye when they bind to the desired molecules you can see what’s happened by observing the build up of fluorescence

Question 20

what are 3 ways that monoclonal antibodies are used to treat cancer

Answer 20

1) trigger the immune system to recognise, attack and destroy cancer cells
2) to block receptors on the surface of cancer cells to stop them growing and dividing
3) used to carry toxic drugs or radioactive substances for radiation therapy

Question 21

what are 3 advantages of monoclonal antibodies

Answer 21

1) only bind to specific diseased or damaged cells
2) healthy cells not affected
3) so specific that they can be used to treat a wide range of conditions

Question 22

what are the disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies

Answer 22

1) drugs being carried around the body can affect healthy cells
2) expensive
3) using mouse cells only at first triggered an immune response in humans which caused side effects and held back research