This deep dive covers Future Developments and Ethical Considerations within Monoclonal Antibodies for GCSE Biology. Production and medical applications of identical antibodies, hybridoma cells, diagnostics It is section 9 of 17 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Future Developments and Ethical Considerations
Advanced Therapeutic Applications
- Immunoconjugates: Antibodies linked to radioactive materials or toxins for precise cancer cell killing
- Bispecific antibodies: Engineered to bind two different targets simultaneously
- Autoimmune diseases: Blocking specific inflammatory pathways
- Organ transplant rejection: Preventing immune system from attacking transplanted organs
Ethical Considerations
- Animal welfare: Using mice in production process
- Cost vs accessibility: Very expensive treatments may not be available to all patients
- Safety concerns: Long-term effects of antibody therapies still being studied
- Genetic engineering: Creating humanized antibodies to reduce immune reactions
Current Challenges
- Immune reactions: Mouse antibodies can trigger human immune responses
- Manufacturing costs: Complex production process makes treatments expensive
- Storage requirements: Antibodies are proteins that can denature easily
- Resistance development: Cancer cells may evolve to escape antibody targeting
Practice questions for Monoclonal Antibodies
What does the term 'monoclonal antibody' mean?
Explain why hybridoma cells are needed to produce monoclonal antibodies.
Quick recall flashcards
What is hCG?
Human chorionic gonadotrophin - a hormone only produced during pregnancy, detected by pregnancy tests
What are myeloma cells?
Immortal cancer cells that divide continuously and are used to create hybridoma cells