Uses of monoclonal antibodies Flashcards
what can monoclonal antibodies be used for in pregnancy tests?
to detect a specific hormone
what is the hormone produced by in pregnancy
by the placenta of the developing fetus
what are benefits of pregnancy kit tests based on monoclonal antibodies?
they are cheap
they are easy to use
how do pregnancy tests based on monoclonal antibodies work?
the woman urinates on the test strip and looks for a reaction, the test is highly accurate if used correctly
what can we use to measure the levels of hormones in blood?
explain how
monoclonal antibodies
if a person lacks energy and is tired a lot that can be caused by low levels of certain hormones
so a blood sample is taken and sent off for analysis
the test for these hormones uses monoclonal antibodies
what things can we use monoclonal antibodies for
detect pathogens in the blood
measuring the levels of hormones in blood
monoclonal based pregnancy test kits
to locate and identify specific molecules in a cell or tissue
treating diseases
what is the advantage of using monoclonal antibodies for cases like these (detection of levels of hormones, pathogens in blood, pregnancy test kits) ?
they are completely specific
how can monoclonal antibodies allow us to locate and identify specific molecules in a cell or tissue
in some cells, monoclonal antibodies have been attached to fluorescent dyes
the antibodies stick to the specific molecules within the cell and allow us to see their locations
what do cancer cells do
cancer cells undergo uncontrolled mitosis and they spread around the body
describe fully how can scientists help treat diseases such as cancer
scientists can make antibodies specific to cancer cells
then attach a radioactive substance or a toxic drug to the antibody
when the anti body is injected into the blood, it attaches to the cancer cells
now the radioactive substance or toxic drug stops the cancer cells from growing and dividing
the advantage is that the antibody delivers the substance specifically to the cancer cells without harming other cells in the body
what is the advantage of monoclonal antibodies in treating cancer
the antibody delivers the substance specifically to the cancer cells without harming other cells in the body
what is a problem with using monoclonal antibodies to treat diseases?
in certain drug trials, using monoclonal antibodies have been found to produce very harmful side-effects
