Micro-organisms and Phagocytes and Lymphocytes and Drug Development

What is the name of the micro-organisms that cause disease?

1. Pathogens

2. Fungi

3. Protists

4. Bacteria

5. Viruses

How can Pathogens be spread ?

1. Contact

2. Aerosol

3. Body fluids

4. Water

5. Insects

6. Contaminated Food

Name the bodies 3 defences?

1. Skin flora- bacteria that make it difficult for pathogens to become established.

2. Intact skin is a barrier and blood clots immediately around wounds.

3. Stomach acid and lysozyme in tears protect where skin is not present.

What is the route that a phagocyte goes through when an antigen is detected?

1. Microbe have proteins on their surface called antigens

2. The phagocytes recognise the antigens on the microbe as an invader

3. The phagocyte engulfs the microorganism

4. Enzymes inside the phagocyte digest the microorganism

What is the route that a lymphocyte goes through when an antigen is detected?

1. The Lymphocytes recognise the specific antigens on invading microorganisms.

2. The Antibodies are produced by the lymphocytes and have complementary shapes to the specific antigen on the microorganism surface.

3. The antibodies then:

   1. Mark the microbe for destruction by the phagocytes

   2. Clump microbes together so many can be destroyed at once

   3. Cause the destruction of the microbe

Name the 2 different types of the drug trials

Preclinical drug trials and Clinical trials

What does the preclinical drug trials involve?

1. Testing on human cells grown in the laboratory.

2. Testing on animals.

3. Testing on healthy human volunteers

What does the clinical drug trials involve?

Testing on small groups of patients. Using either a placebo, a blind trial or a double blind trial

What is a placebo?

Used instead of a drug in a drug trial.

What is a blind trial?

Patients do not know if they have been given the drug or placebo but the doctors know.

What is a double blind trial?

Neither patients nor doctors know if the patient has been given the drug or the placebo, only the researchers know.