Topic 3- Defence against disease Flashcards
What human defences does the body have against disease?
The skin blocks pathogens entering the body.
Mucus catches pathogens before being expelled from the body.
Nose hairs act as a filter.
Stomach acid kills harmful bacteria.
How does stomach acid kill harmful bacteria?
Denatures their proteins.
What are the differences between the primary and secondary immune response?
Secondary immune response has a shorter time to react to the antigen.
Primary response takes longer to react to the antigen.
Primary takes 13 days to respond.
Secondary takes 6.5 days to respond.
Secondary produces more antibodies.
How do pregnancy tests work?
Pregnant women excrete a hormone called HCG.
Pregnancy tests contain antibodies that bind to that hormone.
A dye connected to the antibody activates and the coloured strip appears.
How can monoclonal antibodies be used in research?
Scientists can use monoclonal antibodies to measure the amount of something present in blood by labelling the antibody with a coloured compound. The more the colour is saturated, the more of the target antibody is present.
How can monoclonal antibodies be used to treat cancer?
The monoclonal antibodies can attract white blood cells to diseased cells.
How can monoclonal antibodies be used to diagnose disease?
Monoclonal antibodies can bind to antigens on pathogens to diagnose disease (often used to diagnose plant diseases).
What are the advantages / disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies?
ADVANTAGES:
Bind to specific cells.
Healthy tissues unaffected.
Monoclonal antibodies can be used to raise immune response against cancer.
DISADVANTAGES:
Expensive.
Side-effects.
Difficult to produce.
What are painkillers?
Painkillers do not stop infection however they stop pain and symptoms.
What do antibiotics do?
Antibiotics create hostile environments for the bacteria causing the pathogen to die.
Why do bacterium become resistant to antibiotics?
A bacteria may have a mutation that makes them resistant. Since all the other bacteria have died this leaves more food and less competition for the mutated bacteria resulting in the bacteria multiplying quickly.
What are drugs tested for?
Efficacy, dosage, safety, stability.
What is preclinical testing of drugs?
Testing drugs on tissues and animals.
How many people are in the phase 1 clinical testing, who are they typically and what are they testing for?
Typically 100 healthy male volunteers. This tests for any harmful side effects.
How many people are in the phase 2 clinical testing, who are they typically and what are they testing for?
People with the targeted illness. This tests for dosage.
