* Antibodies are produced by B-lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).
* Monoclonal antibodies are produced from clones of a single white blood cell
(This means all of the antibodies are identical and will only target one specific
protein antigen)
* However, lymphocytes don’t divide very easily so it is difficult to grow more of
them.
* Tumour cells, on the other hand, don’t make antibodies but divide lots – so can
be grown easily.
* It is therefore possible to fuse a mouse B-lymphocyte with a tumour cell to
create a cell called a hybridoma. The hybridoma cell can divide and make the
antibody.
* Hybridoma cells can be cloned to get lots of identical cells. These cloned cells all
produce the same antibodies (monoclonal antibodies).
* A large amount of the antibody can be collected and purified.
* The antibodies are specific to one binding site on one protein antigen and so are
able to target a specific chemical or specific cells in the body. You can make
monoclonal antibodies that bind to anything you want e.g. an antigen that’s
only found on the surface of one type of cell.
* For diagnosis such as in pregnancy tests
* in laboratories to measure the levels of hormones and other chemicals in blood,
or to detect pathogens
* in research to locate or identify specific molecules in a cell or tissue by binding
to them with a fluorescent dye
* to treat some diseases: for cancer the monoclonal antibody can be bound to a
radioactive substance, a toxic drug or a chemical which stops cells growing and
dividing. It delivers the substance to the cancer cells without harming other cells
in the body.
