API: Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. A substance intended to be used in the manufacture of a drug and when used becomes an active ingredient in the drug.
Abiotic: Non-Living
Activation Energy: Amount of energy needed for a reaction to occur. Essentially a barrier to stop reactions occuring spontaneously. If reactions did happen spontaneously molecules would be able to breakdown instantly. This would be problematic.
Active site: The area on an enzyme that binds with the substrate.
Aerobic: Organisms that require oxygen to survive.
Agglutination: The clumping together of a number of molecules to form a large aggrigate. E.G When a number of antigens cling to a antibody
Allosterism: Change in activity (either positive or negative) of an enzyme due to the binding of a molecule to an area on the enzyme called the allosteric site. (Different from the active site)
Anaerobic: Organisms that can survive in the absence of oxygen
Anion: Negatively charged ions. Occurs when there are more electrons than there are protons.
Anoxic: No oxygen
Antibiotic: A substance produced by microorganisms that has the ability to kill other microorganisms.
Antibody: A molecule in the immune system that attaches to antigens (foreign particles, like bacteria and viruses) and neutralizes them.
Antigen: Any substance that causes an immune response. E.G bacteria, viruses, a rusty nail e.t.c
Apoenzyme: Protein part of the enzyme.
Apoptosis: Cell suicide. Used by a cell to destroy itself when something goes awry. E.G infection
Autoimmune disease: When the immune system starts attacking cells it shouldn't be. Like heart, brain or lung tissue.
Aseptic technique: Keeping a process free of any bacterial contamination.
Agar: A solidifying agent used to turn liquid media to a semi solid state so that bacteria may grow on the surface. It has no nutritional value.
Autotroph/Autotrophic: An organism capable of producing it's own food using chemosynthesis or photosynthesis.
Bacteria: Prokaryotic single celled organisms.
Bacteriocidal: Substance that kills bacteria.
Bacteriostatic: Substance that slows the growth of bacteria.
Biosimiliar: Biopharmaceutical products which are similar to the original product but not identical.
Biofermentor: A container in which a bioreaction can occur. Provides both physical containment and a number of instruments and sensors to control parameters such temperature, pH, oxygen, e.t.c
Biopharmaceutical: A substance intended for human consumption that produces a beneficial effect. Biological synthesis.
Bioremediation: The use of microorganisms to benefit the environment. Usually used to clear up contaminants.
Biotechnology: The use of living things of their compononents to make products for a specific purpose, usually beneficial human use.
Biomagnification: The increase in concentration of a contaminant as it works it's way up the food chain. E.G Let's say we have a bacteria that grows on corn that produces very little amounts of cyanide. Now let's say a chicken comes along and eats 100 pieces of corn, the cyanide builds up inside the chicken but not enough to kill it. Now lets say a fox comes along and eats 10 chickens, all the cyanide in the chickens builds up in the fox. Now lets say I come along and eat 10 foxes> dead.
Capsid: Protein coat surrounding a virus
Carcinogen: Substance that causes cancer.
Cation: Positively charged ions. Occurs when there are less electrons than there are protons.
Cerebrospinal fluid: clear, colorless liquid that fills the space that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
Conjugation: the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells.
Cytoplasm: Gel like substance within cells
Death phase: Final phase of bacterial growth curve. Nutrition and space is scarce. Death rate is much higher than new generation time.
Disinfectant: Substance that kills micro-organisms.
DNA: DeoxyriboNucleicAcid. Molecule responsible for storing genetic information in the form of an nucleotide sequence.
DNA polymerase: Enzyme used in DNA replication to synthesise a new strand of DNA.
Drug: Any substance which has an affect on the human body.
E.M.I.T: Enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique. A method used to screen for drugs.
Endotoxin: A toxin present in the cell wall of (usually gram negative) bacteria. When the cell is broken down the toxins are released. If this happens withing the body it can have a number of adverse affects, usually a high fever.
Enzyme: A molecule that speeds up a reaction without being used up in the reaction itself. Made of protein.
Endothermic: Any reaction that consumes energy. E.g Melting Ben and Jerry's Chunkey Monkey ice cream. This is because the ice cream needs to absorb heat from it's surroundings in order to become warm enough to melt.
Epitope: Region of the antigen to which the antibody binds.
Extracellular: Outside cell
Exothermic: Any reaction that releases energy. Usually in the form of heat. E.G Burning a peanut. The chemical energy in the peanut is converted to heat and released.
Fauna: All animal life that exists in a particular area. e.g Bambi
Fermentation: Can have a number of meanings depending on the context.
Food: Conversion of sugar to ethanol.
In the cell: anaerobic conversion of glucose to some waste product‚ including glycolysis plus steps to regenerate NAD+
Fluorescent Antibody: An antibody with a flourescent dye attached to it. This antibody can then be bound to an antigen and due to the addition of the flourescent dye the antigen can be detected/quantified.
Generic: A drug which is not brand name/ off patent.
Glycosylation: the enzymatic process that attaches glycans to proteins, lipids, or other organic molecules.
Gram stain: The most important differential stain in microbiology. Microorganisms are either stained purple (gram positive) or red (gram negative). The result depends on the thickness of the cell wall.
Half-life: Time required for removal of 50% of the drug in blood.
Halophile: A bacteria that can survive in high salt concentrations.
Hemolysis: The breakdown of blood by bacteria grown on blood agar. Can be Alpha, Beta or Gamma. Alpha Hemolysis is actually not the breakdown of blood at all(?) and is in fact just a green discolouration.
Beta Hemolysis is the break down of blood. It leaves a clear area around the colony on blood agar.
Gamma Hemolysis is the absensce of Hemolysis (no breakdown) and I have no idea why it is called Hemolysis
Heterotroph/ Heterotrophic: An organism not capable of producing it's own organic compounds. Has to consume other organisms.
Homeostasis: The process of keeping temperature, pH and other variables inside a system constant, in response to a changing external environment. E.G Sweat evaporating from your skin on a hot day.
Horizontal gene transfer: When genetic material is passed between two organisms. (Unless the organisms are parent/offspring in which case it is called veritcal transfer.)
Immunoglobulin: Another name for an antibody.
Intracellular: Within the cell.
In vitro: From latin, literally translated as in glass. Refers to studies done in the lab.
In vivo: Inside the body
Ion: When the number of electrons in a molecule is either greater than or less than the number of protons.
Can be anions (negatively charged) or cations (positively charged)
Lag phase: The phase of growth when bacteria are introduced to a new environment. At this stage growth is slow because bacteria are still adapting to the new environment.
LAL test: Limulus Amebocyte Lysate test. Used to test for the presence of endotoxins in a solution. If endotoxin is present it form a complex with the amebocytes and a gel is formed.
Log phase: Second stage of bacterial growth curve. Bacteria have adapted to environment, space and nutrition are plentiful and so growth is rapid.
Lysis: Rupture/destruction of a cell.
Lysogenic cycle: Virus replication cycle. When a virus infects a cell and integrates it's nucleic acid (can be either DNA or RNA) into the host genome. This does not kill the cell. When the cell replicates copies of the viral nucleic acid will be passed on to each daughter cell. This is in contrast to the lytic cycle which does kill the cell.
Diffusion: The movement of a molecule from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.
Osmosis: The movement of a molecule from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration through a semi permeable membrane.
Monoclonal Antibody: Antibody derived from identical cells that are all derived from a single parent cell.
Motile/Motility: The ability of a bacteria to move.
Nitrification: Oxidation of Ammonia to turn it into nitrite. Nitrite can then be oxidised to turn it into nitrate.
Substrate: The molecule that the enzyme interacts with to form the product.
Pasteurisation: Process of using high temperatures to kill microorganisms.
Pathogen: An organism capable of damaging a host cell.
P.C.R: Polymerase chain reaction. A technique used in molecular labs to amplify a quantity of DNA.
Peptidoglycan: Rigid cell wall layer in bacteria.
Pharmaceutical: A substance intended for human consumption that produces a beneficial effect. Chemical synthesis.
Phenotype: Physical make up of a microorganism.
Polyclonal antibody: Antibody derived from a number of different cells.
Post-translational modification: Chemical modification of a protein after it has been translated.
Protein: Polypeptide chain which carries out a biological function. Each protein has a unique folding pattern and amino acid sequence. Proteins are 3d in nature.
RNA: Sequence of nucleotides which is responsible for transcription, translation and movement of genetic information using DNA strands as a template.
RNA polymerase: An enzyme whiche synthesises an RNA strand using DNA as a template.
Serology: Study of the reactions that take place between antigens and antibodies. Commonly used to identify strains of microorganisms.
Stationary phase: Third phase of bacterial growth curve. As the bacterial numbers increase the nutrition and space decreases. It's at this stage that the generation of new bacteria equals the death rate of old bacteria.
Symbiosis: When two organisms have a relationship which benefits them both.
Teratogens: Agents that induce developmental abnormalities in the fetus.
Transcription: The synthesise of a new RNA strand using a DNA strand as a template. Note that the RNA sequence will be the opposite of the sequence on the DNA strand. Also RNA uses Uracil instead of Thymine.
Translation: When the genetic information encoded on messenger RNA is used to produce new proteins. This happens in the ribosome.
Toxin: Any foreign substance capable of inflicting damage on the host cell.
Vertical transfer: When genetic material is passed from parent to offspring.
Viable count: Measurement of the number of live cells in a microbial population.