Monoclonal Antibodies Flashcards
How are antibodies produced
By B-lymphocytes
Which is a type of white blood cell
What are monoclonal antibodies produced from
Lots of clones of a single white blood cell
What does it mean about monoclonal antibodies due to them being produced from a clone of a single white blood cell
They are all identical and will only have 1 specific protein antigen
Properties of a tumour cell
They can divide lots and grow really easily
Don’t produce antibodies
What’s a hybridoma
When a Mouses B-lymphocyte and a tumour cell fuse together
What can hybridoma cells do
Clone to get lots of identical cells which can produce all the same antibodies which can be collected and purified
Why are monoclonal antibodies made and why are they useful
To bind to anything you want and they will only bind to the target molecule
So you can use them to target a specific cell or chemical in the body
What are monoclonal antibodies used for
In pregnancy tests
To treat disease
Research to find specific substances
What is the HCG hormone
A hormone found in the urine of women only when they are pregnant
What do pregnancy test sticks do
Detect the HCG hormone in the females wee
What’s on the part of the pregnancy stick that you wee on
Some antibodies to the hormone with blue beads attached to them
What does the test strip have on it
Some more antibodies to the hormones stuck onto it so they won’t move
What happens if you pregnant and wee on the stick
The hormone will bind to the antibodies with blue beads
The urine will move up the stick carrying the hormones and beads
The beads and the hormones will bind to the antibodies on the test strip
The blue beads will stick to the strip turning it blue
What happens to the test if your not pregnant
The urine will move up the stick carrying the blue beads but nothing will stick the blue beads to the test strip so it won’t go bliue
What are tumour markers
The antigens cancer cells have on their cell membranes which aren’t found on normal body cells
What can monoclonal antibodies do to tumour markers
Bind to them with a anti-cancer drug which will stop the cancer cells growing and dividing and kill them but not the normal body cells near the tumour
What type of anti-cancer drugs can there be
A radioactive substance
Toxic drug
Chemical
How do the antibodies get to the Denver cells
They are given to a patient through a drip
The antibodies will target the specific cells because they will only bind the the tumour markers
How can monoclonal antibodies be used in laboratories and research
Used to
Bind to hormones and other chemicals in the blood to measure their levels
Test blood samples in laboratories for certain pathogens
Locate specific molecules in a cell or a tissue
How do antibodies locate molecules on a cell or in a tissue
The monoclonal antibodies are made to bind to a specific molecule
The antibodies are then bound to a specific fluorescent dye
If the molecules are present the monoclonal antibodies will bind to them and they can be detected using the dye
Why are monoclonal antivirus better then chemotherapy for treating cancer
Because chemotherapy can affect normal body cells as well as killing cancer cells unlike monoclonal antibodies
So the side affects of an antibody based drug are lower
What side affects can monoclonal antibodies cause
And what does this mean
Fever
Vomiting
Low blood pressure
They are not as widely used as scientists first thought
