monoclonal antibodies DEFINITELY IN EXAM

Question 1

what are antibodies produced by

Answer 1

lymphocytes

white blood cells

Question 2

how are monoclonal antibodies used to target cancer cells

Answer 2

• antigens are present on the membranes of the cancer cells
• monoclonal antibodies are produced which are specific to these antigens
• they bind to the antigens on the cancer cells and clump together
• dye can be attached to monoclonal antibodies which will show up on scans
• toxic drugs can be attached to monoclonal antibodies to target cancer cells for treatment (when injected into the blood it will attach to the cancer cells to stop them from growing and dividing)

Question 3

define monoclonal antibodies

Answer 3

identical copies of 1 type of antibody

Question 4

explain how to extract monoclonal antibodies

Answer 4

• a mouse is vaccinated to start the production of antibodies
• spleen cells that form antibodies are collected from the mouse during an operation
• these are fused with tumor cells called myeloma cells
• this forms hybridoma cells
• these are grown in the laboratory and those that produce antibodies are separated
• the antibodies are collected

Question 5

what are monoclonal antibodies produced from

Answer 5

Monoclonal antibodies are produced from a single clone of hybridoma cells
(monoclonal antibodies are specific to one binding site on one antigen) —-> can target a specific chemical or specific cells in the body so have a large number of uses

Question 6

how are monoclonal antibodies used in pregnancy testing

Answer 6

• monoclonal antibodies are developed for the pregnancy hormone HCG
• they are attached to the end of the test stick
• woman urinates on a stick
• If HCG is present in her urine it will bind to the monoclonal antibodies
• this causes a change in color on specific points of the stick to indicate pregnancy

Question 7

advantages and disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies

Answer 7

+ accurate
+ treat diseases
- ethical issues
- cause side effects

Monoclonal antibodies have seen great development in the diagnosis
and treatment of medical conditions.
• They have a wide variety of uses ranging from laboratory applications
to pregnancy tests and they do not affect healthy tissues
• It is expected that they will be cheaper to produce as they become
more widely available

• Disadvantages:
• Unexpected side effects and complications
• Expensive
• Producing specific monoclonal antibodies presents a serious challenge

Question 8

uses of monoclonal antibodies

Answer 8

• pregnancy testing
• cancer diagnosis + treatment
• hormone concentrations in the blood
• detect pathogens in the blood (e.g: viruses)
• locate or identify specific molecules in a cell/tissue