monoclonal antibodies Flashcards
what is a monoclonal antibody ?
a single type of antibody that can be isolated and cloned
what are antibodies ?
proteins which have binding sites complementary in shape to certain antigens
explain direct monoclonal antibody therapy?
antibodies are complementary to antigens on cancer .
antibodies are given to the cancer patient and attach to the cancer cells
while to antibodies are attached to the cancer cells antigens ,no chemical binding to the antigens can take place which prevents uncontrollable cells division
.the antibodies only attack cancer cells and don’t harm regular cells .
explain indirect monoclonal antibody therpay .
monoclonal antibodies complements in shape to the antigens on the outside of the cancer cells which have drugs attached to them .
cancer drugs are therefor directly delivered to the cancer cells and will only kill cancers .This is because the drug will not release from the antibody until the antibody is attached to the antigen .
known as bullet drugs
what can moclonal antibodies test for ?
chlamydia , prostate cancer , pregnancy ,hepatitis , influenza
what tests are monoclonal antibodies used in ?
ELISA tests
what does ELISA stand for ?
enzyme linked immunosorbent assay test
explain the use of three antibodies in the elisa test?
the mobile antibody , complementary to the antigen being tested and has a coloured dye attached
a second antibody complementary in shape to the antigen is immobilised
a third antibody is immobilised and is complement in shape to t he first antibody
what are the steps of the Elisa test ?
add the test sample from the patient to the base of the beaker
wash to remove any unbound test sample
add n antibody complementary in shape to the antigen you are testing for
wash to re remove ant unbound antibodies
add a second antibody that is complementary in shape to the first antibody and it will bind to the first antibody .The second antibody has an enzyme attached to it .Wash away.
add a colourless substrate for the enzyme . THe substrate produces coloured product in the presence of an enzyme .
what is on the base of the beaker in ELisa tests ?
antibodies/antigens
what does the intensity of colour in an Elisa test tell us?
.Indicates quantity of antigen present
explain the ethical issues surrounding the use of monoclonal antibodies ?
animals need to be used
animals die
