Monoclonal antibodies

• What are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)?

  Antibodies from one parent cell
• Monoclonal antibodies are specific to one type of antigen
• Steps in the production of monoclonal antibodies

  1️⃣ Specific antigen injected into an animal

  2️⃣ B-lymphocytes producing complementary antibodies extracted

  3️⃣ B-lymphocytes fuse with myeloma cells to form hybridoma cells

  4️⃣ Hybridoma cells cultured

  5️⃣ Monoclonal antibodies collected and purified
• What type of cells do B-lymphocytes fuse with to form hybridoma cells?

  Myeloma cells
• Hybridoma cells can divide and produce antibodies
• Monoclonal antibodies are used in pregnancy test kits to detect hCG
• What type of cells are myeloma cells?

  Tumour cells
• What do pregnancy kits test for?

  hCG in urine
• Monoclonal antibodies in pregnancy kits are specific to hCG
• In a pregnancy test, if hCG is present, a blue line forms on the stick
• What is one advantage of using monoclonal antibodies to test for pathogens?

  They are very accurate
• Cancer cells have specific antigens called ‘tumour markers’ on their membranes
• Monoclonal antibodies can target ‘tumour markers’ without damaging other cells
• How are monoclonal antibodies used to diagnose cancer?

  They detect radiation emitted
• Monoclonal antibodies can be attached to anti-cancer drugs to target cancer cells
• Cancer treatments using monoclonal antibodies are favoured over traditional treatments because they reduce damage to healthy cells
• Steps in using monoclonal antibodies to locate blood clots

  1️⃣ mAbs tagged to a radioactive substance

  2️⃣ mAbs target and bind to specific proteins in blood clots

  3️⃣ Radiation emitted by mAbs is detected

  4️⃣ Location of blood clots is identified
• What does hCG bind to in a pregnancy test?

  mAbs

  
• Fixed mAbs in a pregnancy test bind to hCG