4. Clinical Use Of Monoclonal Antibodies

Question 1

What are monoclonal antibodies derived from?

Answer 1

A single B-lymphocyte clone

Question 2

How do monoclonal antibodies work?

Answer 2

Binding with cell surface receptors to either activate or inhibit signalling within the cell
Binding to induce cell death
Binding with cell surface receptors to activate ADCC or CDC
Internalisation for antibodies delivering toxins into the cancer cell
Blocking inhibitory effects on T cells, activating T cells to help kill cancer cells

Question 3

ADCC?

Answer 3

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Question 4

CDC?

Answer 4

Complement-dependent cytotoxicity

Question 5

What are the treatment strategies for lymphoma?

Answer 5

Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Monoclonal antibody therapy 
Emerging new targeted therapy
Stem cell transplantation

Question 6

What are the side effects of monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 6

Some have no or mild symptoms e.g. mild fatigue
Many have a mild reaction to the first infusion
A few people will have severe infusion related reactions as their immune system reacts to the presence of a foreign protein

Question 7

What are the types of monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 7

Naked monoclonal antibodies
Conjugated monoclonal antibodies
Bispecific monoclonal antibodies