A research team is developing a novel immunotherapy for treating a specific type of cancer. This immunotherapy involves modifying a patient’s T cells to express a synthetic receptor that recognizes a unique protein found only on the surface of the cancer cells.
Discuss the challenges the research team might face in ensuring that the modified T cells selectively target the cancer cells without triggering an autoimmune response against healthy cells expressing similar, but not identical, self-antigens. In your response, address the importance of distinguishing between self and non-self antigens in the context of this immunotherapy.
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Create Free Account Log inThis is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Biology practice question worth 6 marks, testing your understanding of Immune response initiation. It falls under How do organisms respond to pathogens? in Unit 4: How does life change and respond to challenges?. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.
In this unit students consider the continual change and challenges to which life on Earth has been, and continues to be, subjected. They study the human immune system and the interactions between its components to provide immunity to a specific pathogen. Students consider how the application of biological knowledge can be used to respond to bioethical issues and challenges related to disease. Students consider how evolutionary biology is based on the accumulation of evidence over time. They investigate the impact of various change events on a population’s gene pool and the biological consequences of changes in allele frequencies. Students examine the evidence for relatedness between species and change in life forms over time using evidence from paleontology, structural morphology, molecular homology and comparative genomics. Students examine the evidence for structural trends in the human fossil record, recognising that interpretations can be contested, refined or replaced when challenged by new evidence. Students demonstrate and apply their knowledge of how life changes and responds to challenges through investigation of a selected case study, data analysis and/or bioethical issue. Examples of investigation topics include, but are not limited to: deviant cell behaviour and links to disease; autoimmune diseases; allergic reactions; development of immunotherapy strategies; use and application of bacteriophage therapy; prevention and eradication of disease; vaccinations; bioprospecting for new medical treatments; trends, patterns and evidence for evolutionary relationships; population and species changes over time in non-animal communities such as forests and microbiota; monitoring of gene pools for conservation planning; role of selective breeding programs in conservation of endangered species; or impact of new technologies on the study of evolutionary biology. A student-designed scientific investigation involving the generation of primary data related to cellular processes and/or how life changes and responds to challenges is undertaken in either Unit 3 or Unit 4, or across both Units 3 and 4, and is assessed in this unit, Outcome 3. The design, analysis and findings of the investigation are presented in a scientific poster format as outlined in the study design.
In this area of study students focus on the immune response of organisms to specific pathogens. Students examine unique molecules called antigens and how they illicit an immune response, the nature of immunity and the role of vaccinations in providing immunity. They explain how technological advances assist in managing immune system disorders and how immunotherapies can be applied to the treatment of other diseases. Students consider that in a globally connected world there are biological challenges that can be mediated by identification of pathogens, the prevention of spread and the development of treatments for diseases.
initiation of an immune response, including antigen presentation, the distinction between self-antigens and non-self antigens, cellular and non-cellular pathogens and allergens
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A researcher is investigating the potential of using genetically modified (GM) bacteria to deliver therapeutic proteins directly to cancerou…
State the roles of both self-antigens and non-self antigens in initiating an immune response.
During a blood transfusion, a patient with blood type A receives blood type B. Which of the following explains the *initial* immune response…
A previously healthy individual is exposed to a novel virus. Which of the following events is the *most* crucial initial step in initiating…
Which of the following statements best describes the role of antigens in the immune system?
Which of the following best describes the primary difference between a self-antigen and a non-self antigen?
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