Monoclonal antibodies

• What are small proteins produced by white blood cells called?

  Monoclonal antibodies
• What are monoclonal antibodies derived from?


  Antibodies from a single clone of cells
• How are monoclonal antibodies produced in the laboratory?


  By cloning a single cell to produce antibodies
• What role do B-lymphocytes play in the immune response?


  They help fight disease by producing antibodies
• What happens when B-cells detect foreign antigens?


  They produce lots of antibodies
• Where are monoclonal antibodies made?


  In a laboratory
• Why are B-lymphocytes combined with fast-dividing tumor cells?


  To create hybridoma cells that divide quickly
• What is the result of fusing B-cells with tumor cells?


  Hybridoma cells
• What is the purpose of leaving hybridoma cells in a petri dish?


  To allow them to divide and produce antibodies
• What do hybridoma cells produce?


  Lots of monoclonal antibodies
• How are monoclonal antibodies collected after production?


  They are collected and purified
• What is done to obtain B lymphocytes for monoclonal antibody production?


  A mouse is injected with a chosen antigen
• What is a key characteristic of monoclonal antibodies?


  They always bind to one specific thing
• What can be attached to the bottom of antibodies?


  Drugs, radioactive substances, fluorescent proteins
• What is a key feature of pregnancy tests?


  They are cheap, quick, and reliable.
• What role do monoclonal antibodies play in pregnancy tests?


  They are used to detect the hormone HCG in urine.
• What hormone do pregnant women produce that is detected by pregnancy tests?

  HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).
• How do pregnancy tests detect HCG?


  They detect HCG that is excreted in urine.
• What happens to the blue beads in a pregnancy test when HCG is present?


  The HCG binds to the antibodies on the blue beads, causing them to get stuck on the test strip.
• What indicates a positive result on a pregnancy test?


  Two lines appear on the test strip.
• What is the process of how a pregnancy test works?

  • Pregnant women produce HCG, which is excreted in urine.
  • The test strip has fixed antibodies specific to HCG.
  • If HCG is present, it binds to the blue beads covered in the same antibodies.
  • The beads get stuck on the test strip, causing it to appear blue.
  • A positive result shows two lines on the test strip.
• What happens in a pregnancy test when a woman is not pregnant?


  The urine washes the unfixed blue beads along, and nothing happens on the test strip.
• What are monoclonal antibodies?


  Identical antibodies engineered for various uses
• What type of white blood cell produces antibodies?

  B lymphocytes
• How are monoclonal antibodies produced?


  From clones of a single white blood cell
• Why can't lymphocytes be easily grown for monoclonal antibody production?


  Because lymphocytes don’t divide very easily
• What type of cells can be easily grown for monoclonal antibody production?


  Tumour cells
• What is a hybridoma cell?


  A cell created by fusing a mouse B-lymphocyte with a tumour cell
• What can hybridoma cells be cloned to produce?


  Lots of identical cells producing the same antibodies
• Why are monoclonal antibodies useful in targeting specific cells or chemicals?


  Because they bind only to a specific molecule
• How do pregnancy tests utilize monoclonal antibodies?


  • Detect HCG hormone in urine
  • Antibodies with blue beads bind to HCG
  • Test strip has stationary antibodies for HCG
  • If pregnant, beads and hormone bind to strip, turning it blue
  • If not pregnant, no binding occurs, strip remains unchanged
• What hormone do pregnancy tests detect?

  HCG
• What happens when a pregnant woman uses a pregnancy test?

  The hormone binds to antibodies on the blue beads
• What occurs if a non-pregnant woman uses a pregnancy test?


  The blue beads do not bind to the test strip
• What is the significance of the phrase "wee on a stick" in the context of the study material?


  It humorously highlights a unique aspect of pregnancy tests
• What should you do before moving on to the next topic in the study material?

  Ensure you understand the current page
• What is the main function of monoclonal antibodies in medical applications?


  • Target specific proteins or antigens
  • Used in diagnostics (e.g., pregnancy tests)
  • Potential therapeutic applications (e.g., cancer treatment)
• What are monoclonal antibodies produced from?


  Clones of a single white blood cell (B-lymphocyte)
• What is the characteristic of monoclonal antibodies?


  They are all identical and specific to one protein antigen
• What is the role of B-lymphocytes in the production of monoclonal antibodies?


  1. lymphocytes produce antibodies