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What is a monoclonal antibody?
It is an antibody which is cloned from 1 specialised cell for a specific purpose.
How are they made?
- Rats are injected with a vaccine for the target antigen
- Lymphocytes are produced by the rat's immune system. The lymphocite produces the wanted antibody
- The lymphocites with the antigen are harvested
- They are combined with tumour cells as they divide a lot faster than the Lymphocytes to produce a Hybrogen
- They divide quickly to produce lots and lots of the antibody
In I/GCSE biology, we have to learn about the use of monoclonal antibodies.
Uses of Monoclonal Antibodies
Pregnancy Tests:
- The hormone HCG is only produced during pregnancy
- Monoclonal antibodies are located on the test zone of the pregnancy test
- When HCG is present in the woman's urine, the antibodies will bind to the HCG and produce a colour change
- This is how a pregnancy test can determine whether a woman is pregnant or not
Cancer Treatment:
Monoclonal antibodies can be used during cancer treatment in 4 different ways:
- It can target the tumor cell and highlight it to the doctors as to where the cell is located in the body
- They can be used as a direct way for killing the tumor cell as they contain the anticancer drug
- They also can be used to block the hormone which causes the tumor cell to divide
- Finally, they can trigger the immune system to fight these tumor cells
Side effects of Monoclonal Antibodies
As they are produced using a rat's immune system, the patient could get an allergic reaction to the treatment or the patient's body might not accept the antibodies as their immune system.
That's the end of today's topic!

Drafted by Yoshi (Biology)