Overview
Vaccines help the body prepare for ________ without causing it.
a disease
Vaccines contain antigens to “teach” the immune system to recognize foreign molecules. Give at least one example of a form they can be in.
Possible answers:
Protein
Sugar
Fragment of a virus or bacteria
List at least three types of vaccines.
Possible answers:
Live-attenuated vaccines
Inactivated (killed) vaccines
Subunit/Recombinant vaccines
mRNA vaccines
Out of the three vaccine delivery methods, which one is the most common method?
Intramuscular injection
Vaccines are tested in how many clinical trial phases?
Three phases
Vaccines introduce what to the immune system?
An antigen
Explain what antibodies are and their purpose.
Proteins made by B cells
Bind specifically to antigens
Help neutralize or mark pathogens for destruction
Live-attenuated vaccines contain a ____ version of pathogens, and cause strong long-lasting immunity. However, they are not safe for what type of people?
weakened
What is the difference between how the intramuscular injection and subcutaneous injection are delivered?
The intramuscular injection is injected into the muscle tissue while the subcutaneous injection is injected under the skin.
Briefly explain phase one of the trials.
It uses a small group sample and focuses on safety.
What is a definition for an antigen?
A harmless piece or blueprint of a pathogen
Memory cells are long-lasting B and T cells that remain after a(n) ___ or ___ and do what?
Infection or vaccination
Allow rapid response during future exposure
Give a brief explanation about inactivated vaccines.
Contain a dead pathogen
Cannot replicate
Often require booster shots
Explain how the nasal spray method works.
It targets mucosal immunity and is useful for respiratory pathogens.
Briefly explain phase two of the trials.
It uses hundreds of participants in the sample and focuses on immune response and dosage.
Name the two types of cells that get activated when the adaptive immune system, and what they do.
B cells → make antibodies
T cells → kill infected cells and coordinate the response
What are the two types of antibodies detected?
IgM → early or recent immune response
IgG → long-term immunity
Give a brief explanation about Subunit/Recombinant vaccines.
Contain only specific antigens
Fewer side effects
A rapid antibody assay works similarly to what other test?
A pregnancy test
Explain phase three of the trials.
It uses thousands of participants in the sample to measure how well the vaccine prevents disease. It does this through the comparison of a vaccinated group to a placebo group.
What does the formation of memory B and T cells allow that causes vaccines to be able to prevent severe illness?
It allows for faster and stronger immune responses for when the real pathogen enters the body.
Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to strengthen the immune response. Some vaccines need adjuvants because antigens alone may not trigger a strong enough response. Give one specific example as to what adjuvants do.
Possible answers:
Activate the innate immune system
Help antigen-presenting cells alert T cells
Increase antibody production
Give a brief explanation about mRNA vaccines.
Contain messenger RNA instructions
Cells use mRNA to produce a viral antigen
mRNA does not enter the nucleus or change DNA
After adding a blood sample to the rapid antibody assay, explain what happens.
Antibodies in the blood bind to specific antigens, and a visible line appears if antibodies are present.
How is the vaccine efficacy calculated? For example, if there is 95% efficacy, that means 95% fewer cases in ____ group compared to the ____ group
Vaccine efficacy is calculated by comparing infection rates between groups. For example, 95% efficacy means 95% fewer cases in the vaccinated group compared to the unvaccinated group.