Responses to Disease Preview CT-STEM

Adaptive: Antibodies and Viruses Model

We've been looking at a non-specific immune response, as phagocytes will move in to gobble up all types of invaders. But, how do some organisms become immune to specific diseases? That requires another level of immunity, called the adaptive immune system.

The adaptive immune system is mainly seen in vertebrate organisms. Although, there is some current research that points to some features possibly in invertebrates, like insects.

Use the model below to discover one of the major features of the adaptive immune system:

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Questions

Please answer the questions below.

Question 4.1

Set all of the antibodies sliders to 0. Click "set-up." What is in the model?

Question 4.2

Click "go." Click "Make Orange Virus" a few times. What happens to the cells in the simulation?

Question 4.3

Change the slider for "base-red-antibodies" to 3. Click "set-up" and "go." Click "Make Orange Virus." Describe what happens.

Question 4.4

Play with the antibodies sliders and making virus buttons. Click "set-up" each time to reset the simulation. Continue until you find an arrangement that allows the cells to stay alive. What happened that allows them to stay alive?

Question 4.5

One of the key features of the adaptive immune system are antibodies. From this simulation, what do antibodies do?

Question 4.6

We said phagocytes show a "non-specific response." Why can we say that antibodies have a "specific response?" What do you see them doing in the simulation that is different from the phagocytes?

Notes

These notes will appear on every page in this lesson so feel free to put anything here you'd like to keep track of.