13-Uses of Monoclonal Antibodies

• Monoclonal antibodies


  Produced from a single clone of identical hybridoma cells, specific to a single binding site on one protein antigen
• Monoclonal antibodies


  • Can be produced against any antigen that we want, making them extremely useful in medicine
• Uses of monoclonal antibodies


  • Diagnosis (e.g. pregnancy testing)
  • Measuring hormone levels in blood
  • Detecting pathogens in blood
  • Locating/identifying specific molecules in cells or tissues
  • Treating diseases (e.g. cancer)
• Pregnancy testing using monoclonal antibodies


  1. Monoclonal antibodies detect a specific hormone produced by the placenta of the developing fetus

  2. Pregnancy test kits based on monoclonal antibodies are cheap and easy to use

  3. The woman urinates on the test strip and looks for a reaction

  4. The test is highly accurate if used correctly
• Using monoclonal antibodies to measure hormone levels


  1. Blood sample is taken and sent off for analysis

  2. The test for these hormones uses monoclonal antibodies
• Using monoclonal antibodies to detect pathogens


  Monoclonal antibodies are completely specific to what we're looking for
• Using monoclonal antibodies to locate/identify specific molecules in cells


  1. Monoclonal antibodies are attached to fluorescent dyes

  2. The antibodies stick to specific molecules within the cell

  3. Allows us to see the locations of those molecules
• Using monoclonal antibodies to treat diseases (e.g. cancer)


  1. Scientists make antibodies specific to cancer cells

  2. Attach a radioactive substance or toxic drug to the antibody

  3. Inject the antibody into the blood, it attaches to the cancer cells

  4. The radioactive substance or toxic drug stops the cancer cells from growing and dividing

  5. Advantage is the antibody delivers the substance specifically to the cancer cells without harming other cells
• There is a problem in certain drug trials using monoclonal antibodies - they've been found to produce very harmful side effects
• At the moment there are only a few drugs in use based on monoclonal antibodies, but this is likely to increase in the future