Monoclonal antibodies 4.3.2.1-2

Question 1

what are antibodies specific to?

Answer 1

antigens on foreign cell

Question 2

What produces antibodies?

Answer 2

white blood cell called lymphocytes

Question 3

Why do lymphocytes produce antibodies?

Answer 3

-produce antibodies against anything that the body detects as foreign (antigen)

Question 4

What are antibodies specific to?

Answer 4

antigens

Question 5

What are monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 5

Monoclonal antibodies are produced from clones of a single white blood cell. This means that all antibodies are identical and target only one type of antigen.

Question 6

What is the problem and solution surrounding monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 6

Problem: White blood cells do not like dividing
Solution: Fuse it with a tumour cell

Question 7

How do pregnancy tests work?

Answer 7

• Pregnant women produce the hormone HCG. Pregnancy sticks detect this.
• If you’re pregnant the HCG hormone binds to the antibodies on blue beads. Urine moves up the stick carrying blue beads. Blue beads and hormone bind to antibodies stuck on the test strip. It turns blue!
• If you’re not pregnant the urine moves up the test strip carrying the blue beads but without HCG hormone-nothing to stick blue beads to antibodies on test strip.

Question 8

How can cancer be treated with antibodies?

Answer 8

• we can make antibodies with an anti-cancer drug attached that will bind to ‘tumour markers’
• the anti-cancer drug will only target the cancer cells as normal cells do not have the ‘tumour markers’

Question 9

What are the disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 9

Cause more side effects such as:

• fever
• vomiting
• low blood pressure

Question 10

What is a hybridoma cell made from?

Answer 10

B-lymphocyte and a tumor cell

Question 11

How are monoclonal antibodies produced?

Answer 11

• Inject mouse with antigen and it will produce antibodies against the antigen
• Collect lymphocytes from mouse
• Fuse the lymphocytes with a tumour cell
• The cell produced is called a hybridoma-can produce antibodies and divide by mitosis
• Select hybridoma cell producing antibodies we want
• Allow this hybridoma cell to divide by mitosis to form a clone of identical hybridoma cells.
• We call these monoclonal antibodies because they all clone from a single hybridoma clone.
• Large amount can be collected and purified.

Question 12

What are some uses of monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 12

-Used in pregnancy kits
-Used to measure the levels of hormones in blood-it detects pathogens in the blood
-Locate or identify specific molecules in a cell or tissue
-Treating diseases-can make antibodies specific to cancer cells
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