OpenRevise

Biology · Edexcel Paper 1

Culturing Microorganisms and Developing Medicines

How microorganisms are grown safely in the laboratory, how the effects of antiseptics, antibiotics and plant extracts on bacteria are investigated, how new medicines are discovered, tested and approved, and how monoclonal antibodies are made and used to diagnose and treat disease. Matches Edexcel 5.17 to 5.22. Lesson 3, Developing New Medicines, is for both Combined Science and separate Biology at Foundation and Higher. Lessons 1, 2, 4 and 5 are for separate Biology only.

  • 5 lessons
  • All boards
Flashcards Exam questions Print as a revision pack

Lessons

Ticks are remembered on this device only.

Key terms in this chapter

All 45, gathered from every lesson.

Culture
A population of microorganisms grown on purpose in a laboratory.
Aseptic technique
Methods that prevent contamination by unwanted microorganisms.
Sterile
Free from all living microorganisms.
Autoclave
An appliance that uses steam under pressure, at about 121 °C, to sterilise equipment.
Agar
A jelly made from seaweed, used to make a solid growth medium.
Inoculate
To put microorganisms onto or into a culture medium.
Inoculating loop
A wire loop used to transfer microorganisms.
Contamination
The presence of unwanted microorganisms.
Incubate
To keep a culture at a controlled temperature so that it grows.
Antiseptic
A chemical that kills or stops the growth of microorganisms, used on skin or surfaces.
Zone of inhibition
A clear area around a disc, where bacteria have been killed or have not grown.
Lawn
A continuous layer of bacteria spread over the whole surface of agar.
Control
A comparison in which the factor being tested is left out.
Variable
A factor that can change in an investigation.
Diameter
The distance across a circle, passing through the centre.
Radius
The distance from the centre of a circle to its edge, which is half of the diameter.
Cross-sectional area
The area of a flat slice, such as the area of a clear zone, found by \(\pi r^2\).
Anomaly
A result that does not fit the pattern of the other results.
Discovery
The stage in which a chemical with possible medical use is found.
Preclinical testing
Testing on cells, tissues and animals, before testing on people.
Clinical trial
A test of a medicine on human volunteers or patients.
Toxic
Poisonous, or harmful to living cells.
Placebo
A dummy treatment that contains no active drug.
Double-blind trial
A trial in which neither the patients nor the doctors know who is getting the real drug.
Side effect
An unwanted effect of a medicine.
Dose
The amount of a medicine given at one time.
Licence
Official permission to prescribe a medicine.
Monoclonal antibody
An antibody made by a clone of identical cells, all of which fit the same antigen.
Hybridoma cell
A cell made by joining an antibody-producing lymphocyte to a tumour cell.
Clone
A group of genetically identical cells or organisms, formed from one original cell.
Tumour cell
A cell that divides in an uncontrolled way.
Lymphocyte
A white blood cell that makes antibodies.
Antigen
A molecule that causes the immune system to make antibodies.
Specific
Acting on one thing only.
Fusion
The joining of two cells to make one.
Fermenter
A large tank in which cells are grown in large numbers.
hCG
A hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin, made by the placenta, which is found in the urine of a pregnant woman.
Tumour marker
An antigen found on cancer cells, but not on healthy cells.
Diagnosis
Finding out what disease a patient has.
Radioactive label
A radioactive atom attached to a molecule, so that it can be detected on a scan.
Fibrin
A protein that forms the mesh of a blood clot.
Target
The cell or molecule at which a treatment is aimed.
Chemotherapy
The use of drugs that kill cells that divide rapidly, to treat cancer.
Radiotherapy
The use of radiation to kill cancer cells.
Control line
A line on a test that shows that the test has worked.