models of disease

Question 1

in vivo

Answer 1

cells growing in their normal biological context - inside the body

Question 2

ex vivo

Answer 2

from the body but now outside the body - any experimentation using recently excised tissue in conditions as close to physiological as normal

Question 3

explant

Answer 3

tissue growing outside the body in culture - outside normal biological context

Question 4

invitro

Answer 4

cells growing in culture outside the normal biological context

Question 5

how are cells maintained and forced to grow in culture

Answer 5

essential nutrients, correct physio-chemical environment, grown in a substrate/scaffold, growth factors

Question 6

describe primary cells

Answer 6

limited lifespan and postnatally don’t divide/proliferate indefinitely

Question 7

describe immortalized cells

Answer 7

ability to proliferate indefinitely either through random or deliberate modification

Question 8

what is proliferation driven by

Answer 8

growth factors
fetal bovine serum

Question 9

what is Hayflick Limit

Answer 9

mean number of doubling times before division ceases

Question 10

telomeres and division

Answer 10

research shows that telomeres associated with each cell’s DNA will get slightly shorter with each new cell division until they shorten to a critical legth

Question 11

10% confluency

Answer 11

ideal for plating/seeding - room to grow

Question 12

30% confluency

Answer 12

good for transfection - tolerant of losses and room to grow before harvesting

Question 13

50% confluency

Answer 13

will need to split soon ie 70-80% coverage, may take 2hr-2days depending on rate ofo doubling

Question 14

90% confluency

Answer 14

very few spaces - cells touching, good for barrier function tests and western blot to maximise protein harvest
contact may inhibit growth in some cell types - induce quiescence

Question 15

what do apoptotic cells not removed invitro do

Answer 15

secrete cytokines and chemokines onto adjacent cells - killing cell around them

Question 16

in vivo experimentation

Answer 16

any surgical procedure, imagine or behavioural experiment done on live animals

Question 17

examples of in vivo experimentation

Answer 17

breeding of and experimentation on naturally-occurring genetic diseases
genetic manipulation of animal to change expression of gene/protein
surgery
chemical/toxins
implantations of cells

Question 18

why are immuno-compromised animals used and what are they

Answer 18

SCID mice
do not reject foreign tissue and permit study of human cancers

Question 19

arguments for animal experimentation

Answer 19

can replicate complex diseases
closer to human physiology
maintains homeostasis
maintains cell-cell interactions
can identify off target effects

Question 20

arguments against animal experimentation

Answer 20

no animal experiment can absolutely predict what will happen in humans
we are not more important than animals

Question 21

when ASPA was drawn up what animals were covered

Answer 21

all living vertebrates, except humans

Question 22

what does ASPA do

Answer 22

defines legitimate purposes for animal use in experiments - impose limits on pain and suffering
provides inspection of facilities and procedure
ensures humane standards of husbandry and care
ensures public accountability

Question 23

at what point in the life of a vertebrate does ASPA take effect

Answer 23

from 2/3 of the way through gestation/ incubation

Question 24

when is an animal experiment no longer regulated by ASPA

Answer 24

when circulation stops permanently or the brain is completely destroyed