Monoclonal Antibodies

Question 1

Monoclonal

Answer 1

a clone is a group or population of cells (or an individual) which all come from one original parent cell. Monoclonal refers to a number of cells all coming from one clone. The opposite is polyclonal in which the cells come from a number of different parent cells

Question 2

Myeloma

Answer 2

A cancer of plasma cells (which are the cells which produce antibodies.)

Question 3

Hybridoma

Answer 3

The cell which results from the fusion of 2 different cells

Question 4

Aminopterin

Answer 4

a chemical which inhibits dihydrofolate reductase and prevents the formation of tetrahydrofolate. This is necessary for the formation of bases such as thymine

Question 5

HAT medium (hypoxanthine- aminopterin-thymine medium)

Answer 5

The aminopterin inhibits de novo synthesis of DNA but the hypoxanthine and thymine allow the salvage pathway of DNA synthesis to continue.

Question 6

Bacteriophage/phage

Answer 6

A virus which infects bacteria

Question 7

Chimera/chimeric

Answer 7

in Greek mythology this was a monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. The word now refers to an organism made up of 2 species or 2 separate individuals (zygotes)

Question 8

Humanised

Answer 8

made more human