monoclonal antibodies

Question 1

what are monoclonal antibodies

Answer 1

Antibodies that are clones from one parent cell
specific to one type of antigen

Question 2

how are monoclonal antibodies produced

Answer 2

1. specific antigen injected into an animal
   2.B-lymphocytes producing complementary antibodies extracted
   3.B-lymphocytes fuse with myeloma cells to form hybridoma cells-these cells can divide and produce antibody
   4.hybridoma cells cultured
   5.monoclonal antibodies collected and purified

Question 3

outline the uses of monoclonal antibodies

Answer 3

detection of pathogens
location of cancer cells
treatment of cancer
used in pregnancy test kits

Question 4

what are myeloma cells

Answer 4

type of tumour cell

Question 5

what do pregnancy kits test for

Answer 5

hCG in urine

Question 6

what does a pregnancy test consist of

Answer 6

A stick containing monoclonal antibodies specific to hCG
mAbs attached to a blue head
mAbs fixed to the test stick

Question 7

describe what happens to the test stick if the pathogen is not present

Answer 7

no hCG in urine so a blue line is not formed

Question 8

what is the advantage of using monoclonal antibodies to test for pathogens

Answer 8

specific to one particular antigen
very accurate
quick results

Question 9

why can monoclonal antibodies be used to target cancer cells

Answer 9

cancer cells have specific antigens called “tumour markers”on their membranes
mAbs are specific to one type of antigen so can be targeted to “tumour markers” without damaging other cells

Question 10

describe how monoclonal antibodies can be used to diagnose cancer

Answer 10

-mAbs tagged to a radioactive substance
-mAbs injected into the patients bloodstream
-mAbs bind to “tumour markers” on cancer cells
-emitted radiation is detected using a specialised scanner enabling doctors to determine the location of cancer cells

Question 11

how can monoclonal antibodies be used to target drugs to cancer cells

Answer 11

-mAbs attached to anti-cancer drug
-mAbs injected into the patients bloodstream
mAbs bind to “tumour markers”on cancer cells
-Anti-cancer drug destroys cancer cells

Question 12

why are cancer cells that use mAbs favoured over other traditional treatments

Answer 12

mAbs only target cancer cells, reducing damage to normal cells

Question 13

How can monoclonal antibodies be used to locate blood clots

Answer 13

mAbs tagged to a radioactive substance
-mAbs target and bind to specific proteins in blood clots
-Radiation emitted by mAbs is detected,enabling location of blood clots to be identified