Monoclonal Antibodies (AQA GCSE Biology)

Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that all come from clones of a single white blood cell. They are specific to one antigen.

The process of producing monoclonal antibodies is as follows:

1. a mouse is injected with antigens to stimulate mouse lymphocytes to produce the required antibodies

2. the lymphocytes are combined with a tumour cell to make a hybridoma cell

3. the hybridoma cell is then cloned to produce many identical cells producing the same antibody

A hybridoma cell is a cell produced by combining a lymphocyte with a type of tumour cell.

A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell involved in the specific immune response.

Monoclonal antibody production be considered unethical because:

• mice are used, raising ethical issues with the treatment of animals

• there may be ethical concerns around the cultivation of tumour cells

True.

Monoclonal antibodies can bind to specific proteins because of their specific shape.

Monoclonal antibodies may be used as follows:

• in diagnosis, e.g. of pregnancy or COVID-19

• to measure the levels of specific hormones or other chemicals in the blood

• to identify certain cells or molecules within the body

• in the treatment of certain diseases, e.g. cancer

Monoclonal antibodies can be used to indicate pregnancy by using them in pregnancy tests. The antibodies bind to a hormone released during pregnancy, known as hCG.

False.

Labelling monoclonal antibodies with fluorescent dyes allows them to be used to locate certain cell types or molecules.

The use of dyes is not related to the use of monoclonal antibodies in the delivery of cancer drugs.

Monoclonal antibodies can be used to identify and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells because the antibodies bind to specific proteins that are displayed by cancer cells but not by healthy body cells.