Monoclonal Antibodies

• Mcab's are proudced by B-Lymphocytes
• Mcab's are produced from clones of a single white blood cell, this mean they are all identical and will only target one specific antigen
• • Mouse is injected with a chosen antigen
  • B-Lymphocytes taken from a mouse
  • This makes a hybrodima
  • This divides quickly to produce lots of clones that produce the Mcab's
• Hybrodima cells can be cloned to gets lots of identical cells to produce the same antibodies. These can be collected and purified.
• They can be used in pregnancy tests:

  • A hormone called HCG is found in the urine of pregnant women only
  • The hormone binds to the antibodies on the stick, the dye and hormone bind to the antibodies so the dye becomes visable
• Problems with mcab's:

  • Treatments can affect normal body cells
  • More side effects than originally expected
  • Not as widely used as treatments as scientists originally thought
• Uses of Monoclonal antibodies

  • Bind to hormones and other chemicals in the blood to measure their levels

  • Test blood samples for certain pathogens

  • Locate specific molecules on a cell or tissue

  • Treat illnesses

  • Pregnancy tests