3.2 Monoclonal Antibodies Flashcards
what are monoclonal antibodies?
They are antibodies that are clones from one parent cell and are specific to one type of antigen
Describe how monoclonal antibodies are produced
1-a specific antigen is injected into an animals e.g. mouse
2-lymphocytes that produce complementary antibodies are extracted
3-the lymphocytes then fuse with myeloma cells to form hybridoma cells-these cells can divide and produce antibodies
4-The Hybridoma cells are cultured
5- Monoclonal antibodies are then collected and purified
Outline the uses of monoclonal antibodies
-Detection of pathogens
-location of cancer cells and blood cells
-treatment of cancer
-used in pregnancy test kits
what are myeloma cells?
They are a type of tumor cells
what do pregnancy kits test for?
hCG in urine
what does a pregnancy test consist of?
A stick containing monoclonal antibodies specific to hCG
The mAbs are attached to a blue bead which is free to move and they are also fixed to the test stick
Describe what happens to the test stick if the women is pregnant
-hCG in urine binds to mAbs attached to a blue bead
-mAbs with hCG diffuse up the dipstick
-mAbs fixed to the stick then bind to hCG
-A blue line forms
Describe what happens to the test stick if a woman is not pregnant
No hcg in urine so a blue line is not formed
what is the advantage of using monoclonal antibodies to test for pathogens?
-They are specific to one particular antigen
-very accurate
-quick results
why can monoclonal antibodies be used to target cancer cells?
-cancer cells have specific antigens (called tumour markers) on their membranes
-mAbs are specific to one type of antigen so they can be targeted to “tumour markers” without damaging other cells
describe how monoclonal antibodies can be used to diagnose cancer
-mAbs tagged to a radioactive substance
-mAbs injected into the patients bloodstream
-mAbs bind to the “tumour markers” on cancer cells
-Emitted radiation is detected using a specialised scanner enabling doctors to determine the location of cancer cells
How can monoclonal antibodies be used to target drugs to cancer cells?
-The mAbs attach to an anti-cancer drug
-mAbs are injected into the patients blood stream and bind to the “tumour markers” on cancer cells
-The Anti-cancer drug destroys cancer cells
why are cancer treatments that use mAbs favoured over traditional treatments?
radiotherapy and chemotherapy target rapidly dividing cells. so healthy cells (hair follicle cells, bone marrow cells) are damaged as a consequence producing unpleasant side effects.
mAbs also only target cancer cells reducing damage to normal cells
How can monoclonal antibodies be used to locate blood clots ?
-mAbs are tagged to a radioactive substance
-They target and bind to specific proteins in blood clots.
-The radiation emitted by mAbs is detected. enabling the location of blood clots to be identified
