Monoclonal antibodies

• Direct monoclonal antibody therapy:

  • mAbs are given to the patient and they attach themselves on cancer cells, blocking them from growing uncontrollablly eg herceptin
• Indirect monoclonal antibody therapy:

  • attaching a radioactive or cytotoxic drug to the mAb
  • when the antibody attaches to the cancer cells it kills them
• Medical diagnosis using mAbs:

  They can treat prostate cancer by detecting a protein called prostate specific antigen in the blood
• Ethical issues with mAbs:

  • animal testing
  • serious side effects
  • may cause death