Monoclonal antibody ELISA test

• Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies which are made naturally in the body in response to a particular antigen, and can also be created in the lab.
• Monoclonal antibodies can be used for medical treatment, medical diagnosis, and pregnancy tests.
• Monoclonal antibodies can be used in targeted medication, where antibodies are created with a binding site that is complementary in shape to the antigens on the outside of cancer cells.
• In indirect monoclonal antibody therapy, a cytotoxic drug is attached to a monoclonal antibody, which is then delivered directly to the cancer cells.
• Monoclonal antibodies can also be used in medical diagnosis, such as testing for influenza, hepatitis, chlamydia, prostate cancer, HIV, and COVID-19.
• The enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) is a type of test used for medical diagnosis, which works based on the idea of three different types of monoclonal antibodies.
• Section C of a pregnancy test contains a second antibody that is immobilized and complementary to the hormone produced in pregnancy.
• In an Elisa test, the first step is to add the test sample from a patient to the base of a beaker or slide, wash to remove any floating antibodies, add the antibody that has been created complementary in shape to the antigen for the disease being tested, wash again to remove any antibodies that didn't bind to the antigen of interest, add a second antibody that is complementary in shape to the first one, add a substrate which has no color until a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme occurs, and if the liquid changes from colorless to blue, it indicates that the antigen of interest is present and t
• If the first antibody bound to the hormone, the hormone will bind to the second immobilized antibody, causing the first antibody with the blue dye to stay in that exact position, indicating pregnancy.
• The ethics behind the use of monoclonal antibodies for medical treatment and diagnosis is debated due to the method used to create them, which involves the removal of the spleen from an animal, often a mouse, to harvest the antibodies.
• If the hormone is not present, the mobile antibody will move all the way along the pregnancy test, and when it reaches point D, the control band will appear, indicating that the pregnancy test is working.