Monoclonal antibodies

Question 1

How are antibodies produced

Answer 1

B-lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell

Lots of clones of a single white blood cell - all identical and will only target one specific protein antigen

Question 2

How can an tumour cell grow easily

Answer 2

divides lots

Question 3

How do you create a hybridoma

Answer 3

fuse a mouse B-lymphocyte with a tumour cell

Question 4

Which cells all produce the same antibodies

Answer 4

hybridoma

Question 5

can you make monoclonal antibodies that bind to anything

Answer 5

yes

Question 6

how do pregnancy tests work

Answer 6

-the part you piss on has antibodies to the hormone with blue beads attached
-the test strip has more antibodies stuck on to it
-if you’re pregnant - the beads turn blue - the piss moves up the stick - the beads bind to the antibodies - the blue beads get stuck on the strip making it blue
if you’re not pregnant - the urine moves still carrying the beads - nothing sticks so it doesn’t go blue

Question 7

how can the antibodies be used to treat diseases

Answer 7

different cells have different antigens on their surface - make antibodies to bind to specific cells
cancer cells have antigens on their membranes that aren’t found on normal body cells - tumour markers
you can make antibodies that bind to tumour markers
anticancer drug can attach to the antibodies - may be radioactive or toxic or chemical that stops cancer from dividing or spreading
given to patients on a drip
antibodies target specific cells
it kills the cancer cells but not normal body cells

Question 8

name and explain three ways antibodies can be used for

Answer 8

bind to hormones and other chemical in blood to measure their levels
test blood samples in laboratories for certain pathogens
locate specific molecules on a cell or in a tissue - bind to a fluorescent dye so they can be detected

Question 9

what problems do these antibodies have

Answer 9

fever
vomiting
low blood pressure