Monoclonal Antibodies Flashcards
Scientists have found many uses for antibodies, but they also require methods to make the antibodies which are specific to the protein that they wish to detect. They also need to be able to produce these antibodies in large quantities. How might this be done?
hybridomas are formed by fusion of a B lymphocyte with a myeloma cell using polyethylene glycol (PEG).
How do you produce hybridomas?
induce the laboratory animal to make antibody producing B lymphocytes.
This is achieved by exposing the animal to the antigen of interest.
Blood tests are carried out on the animal to determine if it is producing antibodies.
If the desired antibody is being produced, B lymphocytes are removed from the spleen of the animal and fused with myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol.
What happens to the hybridomas after culturing in HAT?
They are diluted and cultured in a multiwell plate.
Each well only contains one cell.
After culturing, each well contains clones of hybridomas which are producing antibodies.
The supernatant (culture medium) in each well can be screened for the desired antibody.
Clones which produce the desired antibody are then cultured on a large scale.
