Transcript Presentation - Babraham Institute

Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Introductions
• Who are we?
– About our Institute
– About our science
– About our scientific
career
• Who are you?
– Does anyone have
scientists as parents?
– What is favourite
science at school?
– Who is favourite
scientist on TV?
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
What are microorganisms?
Small, tiny, microscopic…
Living creatures..
Can make you sick, but MOST DON’T
Can be… bacteria, viruses, fungi
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
What do they do?
Bad things?
Good things?
Infections
Antibiotics
Tooth decay
Toothpaste
Food decay
Food & Drink
Plant diseases
Decomposition
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Where are they found?
In the soil
On your
bodies
Inside
your
bodies
In the air
On our
bodies
In and on
other
animals
In rivers
and lakes
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Where are they found?
Everywhere!
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
How do they spread?
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Can you find any bacteria?
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Create your own microorganism
and infect your friends!
You will need:
• A balloon (your microorganism)
• Some coloured shapes (as the antigens)
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Why are we not always sick?
Neutrophils =
innate response
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
The immune response
When you are
infected with a
pathogenic microbe
the dendritic cell
collects parts of it
and shows them to
other cells.
If the B cell ‘ninja’ recognises these parts (or antigens) on
the dendritic cell it responds by making antibodies which
are specific for the microbe.
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
The immune response
These antibodies all stick specifically to the
parts of the pathogen that they recognise.
This acts like tomato ketchup – or butter on
toast – making the microbe taste a lot more
yummy to the Macrophages
Macrophages then munch up the invading
pathogen and help your body clear the
infection!!
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Your job as a B-cell Ninja is to
create some antibody ‘flags’
Y
Y
Y
Match the
antibody flags
to the marks on
the
microorganism
Infect a friend with your
microorganism
Create some antibody flags which
match the markings on your
microorganism
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
Have a look at Babraham’s
Immune Army video
• Watch this video on YouTube, which we created for
the 2015 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17O5Q3KjciI
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015
What have we learnt today?
• Microorganisms are
everywhere
• Washing your hands can stop
them spreading
• Some are harmful…
Your Immune System army, keeps you safe from attack
Weapons of Microscopic Destruction – How Your Immune System Keeps You Safe from Attack © Babraham Institute 2015