Microbiology and Disease Prevention

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Questions and Answers

What is the main benefit of chemotherapy?

Harming healthy cells

Destroying cancer cells (correct)

Stimulating the immune system

Reducing the risk of anemia

What is the primary function of antibiotics?

To neutralize disease-causing viruses or bacteria

To kill cancer cells

To kill viruses

To kill bacteria or stop them from reproducing (correct)

What is the primary goal of immunotherapy?

To stimulate the immune system to fight cancer (correct)

To kill healthy cells

To reduce the risk of infections

To promote the growth of stem cells

How do radiation therapy and chemotherapy differ in their approach to treating cancer?

Radiation therapy targets cancer cells through DNA damage, while chemotherapy uses toxic chemicals to kill cancer cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of stem cells in the body?

To divide and mature into different types of blood cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of being vaccinated against a disease?

It reduces the likelihood of becoming infected and transmitting the disease to others Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of stem cell transplantation?

To replace damaged stem cells with healthy ones Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of chemotherapy drugs?

To target and kill cancer cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the main advantage of immunotherapy compared to chemotherapy?

It results in fewer short-term side effects Signup and view all the answers

What is the technique capable of gene and drug cargo delivery or transfection at the nanoscale?

Tissue Nano-transfection (TNT) Signup and view all the answers

Why can chemotherapy be hard on the body?

Because chemotherapy drugs are too toxic and can harm healthy cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of successful chemotherapy?

To kill or damage cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of antibodies in the human body?

To fight off bacteria and viruses Signup and view all the answers

What is the main application of recombinant DNA products in healthcare?

Production of biological molecules for therapeutic purposes Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of molecular diagnostics in healthcare?

To treat or prevent diseases Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of genetic diagnosis and monitoring in healthcare?

To identify and prevent disease transmission Signup and view all the answers

What is the application of biotechnology in vaccine development?

To help reduce disease transmission through new vaccines Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of biotechnology in chemotherapy and drug therapy?

To develop biotech drugs and pharmaceutical products Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Vaccination

Vaccinated individuals generate antibodies that effectively neutralize viruses or bacteria, significantly reducing infection rates.
Vaccination also minimizes the likelihood of transmitting pathogens to others.

Antibiotics and Antivirals

Antibiotics are potent medications that target bacterial infections by killing bacteria or inhibiting their reproduction.
The body's natural defenses then work to eliminate the remaining pathogens.

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

Chemotherapy utilizes strong drugs or chemicals, often in combinations, to kill or damage cancer cells.
Anticancer agents are toxic enough to eliminate leukemic cells, but can also affect healthy cells.
Successful chemotherapy relies on cancer cells being more susceptible to the drugs than normal cells.

Radiation Therapy

Also known as radiotherapy, this treatment is used for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes.
Radiation therapy damages the DNA of cells, preventing their growth and reproduction.
While aimed at cancer cells, it can also affect surrounding healthy cells; however, advancements have reduced collateral damage.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy, or biological therapy, harnesses the body's immune system to combat cancer, typically resulting in fewer short-term side effects than chemotherapy.
Various immunotherapies currently being studied or used for blood cancer include:
- Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy
- Cytokine treatment
- Donor lymphocyte infusion
- Monoclonal antibody therapy
- Radioimmunotherapy
- Reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation
- Therapeutic cancer vaccines

Stem Cells

Blood stem cells, produced in the bone marrow, can differentiate into any blood cell type and constantly regenerate to replace older cells.
Insufficient production of blood cells can lead to serious health issues such as infections, anemia, or bleeding.
Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT), or bone marrow transplant, introduces healthy stem cells to replace damaged ones, and can also utilize umbilical cord blood.

Tissue Nano-transfection (TNT)

TNT is an electroporation-based technique that enables gene and drug delivery at the nanoscale, facilitating targeted treatments.

Biotechnology in Health

Red or healthcare biotechnology applies to medical and food science sectors, enhancing molecular diagnostics, vaccine development, and drug production.
Key applications include:
- Gene therapy for modifying genetic material to treat diseases.
- Producing pharmacological proteins using transgenic animals as bioreactors.

Importance of Biotechnology

Developments in biotechnology focus on creating products that improve human health, including biotech drugs, diagnostic tools, and vaccines.
It plays a crucial role in reducing disease transmission and has applications in forensics through DNA profiling.

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Products

Antibodies, produced by white blood cells, help the immune system identify and combat foreign substances.
Proteins, composed of amino acids, are essential for the structure and function of body tissues and organs.
Recombinant DNA products involve genetically engineered DNA created by recombining DNA fragments from different organisms.

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Description

Learn about the ways to prevent and fight diseases, including the role of vaccination, antibiotics, and chemotherapy in preventing the spread of infections.