HPV to Cervical Cancer, and How Gardasil Works

Monday: Big Note Day.

-Started with "Sexual Connectedness of a High School" Image.

-Then Dwight Schrute's Take on immunity and antibodies.

-Then vocab:
Virus: A piece of nucleic acid coated in a protein capsid.
Capsid: Protein coating of a virus
Antibodies: Proteins your immune system makes to label and help fight a disease.
Vaccine: Shot that contains a weaken form of a virus so that your body can make antibodies against the disease
Latent: "sleeping" waiting for the right time to get into action.

Then NOTES:
How does HPV (types 16, 18, 31, 45) cause Cervical Cancer/Warts?
1.) HPV gets into a small cut (abrasion) of the cervix
2.) The HPV goes through the cell membrane.
3.) HPV inserts its DNA into the DNA of the cervix cells. (causes a DNA mutation)
4.) This may cause the cervical cells to go through the cell cycle (mitosis) too quickly, causing a tumor.
5.) Tumor may spread.

Gardasil Prevents cervical cancer and genital warts by…
1.) HPV proteins from HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18 are injected into the body.
2.) Immune system creates antibodies that bind to those “HPV like” proteins.
3.) These antibodies stay in the blood to quickly label any real HPV that enters the body.
4.) Cervical cancer is prevented by stopping HPV from causing a DNA mutation.


Wednesday:
Students research pros and cons of getting the Gardasil vaccine.