Producing Monoclonal Antibodies (AQA GCSE Biology): Revision Note

Making monoclonal antibodies

Higher Tier Only

• Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that are made by identical immune cells

  • These identical immune cells are clones of the parent cell

  • Antibodies are proteins made by lymphocytes (see Human Defence Systems)

• 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

• This is because the antibody's binding site is complementary in shape to that antigen

• They are produced by stimulating mouse lymphocytes to make a particular antibody as follows:

  1. An antigen is injected into a mouse. This stimulates the mouse's lymphocytes to make the antibody specific to that antigen, and these lymphocytes are collected

  2. The lymphocytes are combined with a particular type of tumour cell to make a hybridoma cell

     • The hybridoma cell can both divide and produce the antibody

  3. The hybridoma cell that makes the required (specific) antibody is selected. Single hybridoma cells are cloned to produce many identical cells that all produce the same antibody

  4. The antibody is collected and purified ready for use

Diagram of method to make monoclonal antibodies

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