1. How do vaccines work?

Vaccines are injections that prepare the human body’s immune system to fight off a particular
disease (1). They do this by exposing the person to a much weaker version of the disease it defends
against. Though it’s a minor amount, this exposure helps the body learn more about the disease in
question and teaches it how to defend against it.

2. What do scientists target on the virus or bacterium?

Most of the targets are the antigens attached to the virus/bacteria. Basically scientists would focus
on the factors that are foreign or different to the body. These antigens possess proteins and
carbohydrates that differ from our body’s usual makeup, so they stand out (2).

3. What are antigens? What role do they play in creating the vaccine?

Antigens are defined as any substance that elicits an immune system attack (2). These can either
enter the body from the environment by inhalation (like pollen/dust), or be created within the body
by the normally present cells (3). The role they play in vaccine making is that they bond with
antibodies to help trigger a reaction from the immune system in order to attack viruses/bacteria.

4. What are T cells? What are B cells? What are memory cells? What role do these cells play?

B cells are the central cells for antibody-mediated immunity in bone marrow, while T cells are the
central cells for cell-mediated immunity in the thymus (2). Each of these cells is unique to their own
foreign entity, and they defend against that specific thing. If it’s a virus for example, the cells that
are meant to associate with that virus help fend it off. After an attack, these cells remember the
foreign body and assists in making us immune to it for further attacks (4).

5. What are antibodies?

Antibodies are Y shaped proteins that bind with antigens in order to fight off foreign bacteria (2).

Works Cited:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine
2. Krogh, D. (2013). Defending the Body: The Immune System. In Biology: A Guide to the Natural
World (5th ed.). Pearson.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen
4. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/whoami/findoutmore/yourbody/
whatdoesyourimmunesystemdo/howdoesyourimmunesystemwork/whatdot-andb-cellsdo.aspx