Transcript Research to improve our medical condition

Think About It
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You have been presented with three
identical, unknown foods and told that one
of them could solve the world’s
hunger/nutrition problem. Unfortunately,
one of them may also make you sick.
Within 3 days, you must choose one of the
foods to package. How will you decide
which food? Write down your plan.
Biomedical Research
Research to improve our
medical condition
What is different about
these questions?
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What genes do viruses use to
replicate?
Can a new drug be made to help
protect us against AIDS?
What affect does the AZT drug have
on elder AIDS patients?
Basic research
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Research conducted to increase
fundamental knowledge
Not directed toward solving any
particular problem
Provides building blocks for other
types of research
Basic Research Questions
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How does HIV invade white blood cells?
What is the structure of the AIDS virus?
What link does diet have to colon cancer?
What causes gestational diabetes in
pregnant women?
Do dogs have more bacteria in their mouth
than humans?
What is my resting heartrate?
Does music improve my studying?
Applied research
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Directed toward specific objectives –
for example, development of new
drug, treatment, or surgical procedure
Conducted with animals, non-animal
methods (computer models or tissue
cultures), and humans
Applied Research Questions
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Can you diagnose AIDS with a urine test?
How do cancer cells respond to herbal treatment?
What affect does drug X have on weight loss in
dogs?
How does insulin interact with pancreas cells?
How can we block the HIV from attaching to cells?
Does gene therapy affect normal protein
production?
What component in dog saliva could be used as an
antibiotic?
Clinical research
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Used when other forms of research have
taken place
Used to test potential drugs and treatments
in humans
Builds on what is done in basic and applied
stages
Broad variety of activities and areas of study
Human clinical trials
Psychosocial and behavioral research
Disease control research
Clinical Research Questions
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How does Levitra affect male erectile dysfunction?
Which diet program has the longest lasting affect
on weigh loss?
Do cooler operating room temperatures improve
surgical recovery?
What proportion of smokers have heart attacks?
Which AIDS drug gives patients the longest life
span?
Do daily doses of Ibuprofen reduce the occurrences
of migraine headaches?
Methods of Biomedical
Research
Computer Modeling
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Use computers to take data and create
a model of how something would work
Weather reports, accident predictions,
drug interactions
Reduces the expense of materials,
screens for possibilities
Is limited to the data already
collected; not an experiment
In Vitro Studies
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In glass; doing experiments in
isolation in test tubes or cell cultures
Cell cytotoxicity (death) from a drug,
drug absorption
Isolates variable
Does not identify systems affect
Non-Human, Animal
Studies
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Testing on animals
Drug, diet, or treatment affects on
animals
Shows how different systems are
affected by drug; better for animal to
be harmed than for a human to be
harmed
Animals are still not humans
Human, Clinical Studies
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Using human to test for safety, and
efficacy of the drug
Clinical Trials
– Phases I – small group, healthy (safety)
– Phase II – small group, iIl (efficacy, safety)
– Phase III – large group, ill (adverse affect)
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Promotes safe and effective drug
Takes too long
Epidemiological
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Monitoring communities for the
occurrence of disease
AIDS (who, when, how)
Informs decisions, research, treatment
Too much, too fast
Benefits of Biomedical Research
Contributions to human health
1. Treatment for heart disease – heart-lung
machine
2. Treatment for cancer
3. Treatment for diabetes
4. Bone marrow transplants
5. Early vaccines
6. Polio vaccine
7. Chicken pox (Varicella)
8. Hepatitis
9. Fluoride – many countries add to water to
decrease tooth decay
10. Penicillin and other antibiotics
Benefits of Biomedical Research
AIDS research continues (acquire immunodeficiency
syndrome)
1. Began in early 1980s
2. Caused by a virus
3. HIV infection progresses to AIDS when
immune system is impaired and individual
becomes susceptible to opportunistic
infection
4. Animals important part of AIDS research
5. Anti-HIV drugs available
6. Number of possible vaccines have been
developed and are being tested in humans
7. Common sense preventive measures best
way to prevent AIDS