Monoclonal Antibodies and What They Are Used For · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

One antibody, endless copies

Science · The Human Body · ages 17-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What does monoclonal mean?

    • A mix of many antibodies
    • One single specificity
    • No specificity at all

  2. How are monoclonal antibodies made?

    • Boil serum until it thickens
    • Mix antibody samples from many donor mice
    • Fuse B cells with myeloma, then culture

  3. Monoclonal antibodies bind a single epitope, usually with high affinity.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. What creates the visible line on a lateral flow test?

    • A chemical fire
    • Evaporation of water
    • Antibody binding

  5. Why is fusing with myeloma the key step?

    • It joins endless dividing with single making
    • It dyes the new antibodies so they all glow blue
    • It kills every B cell

  6. What trade-off comes with antibody cancer drugs?

    • Targeted attack, but high cost and side effects
    • No benefits at all
    • A cheap cure that always works with zero side effects

  7. An antibody drug kills cancer but also healthy cells sharing the marker. What must doctors weigh?

    • The colour of the packaging
    • Benefit against harm
    • The nurse's shift pattern

  8. A lab confirms a diagnosis with polyclonal serum alone. What is risky?

    • Nothing; polyclonal serum never errs
    • Cross-reaction may fake the result
    • Myeloma cells attack the patient
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

One antibody, endless copies W1-mt_YfxZrdvIIo-s1

  1. One single specificity · One clone makes one antibody aimed at one single epitope.
  2. Fuse B cells with myeloma, then culture · Fused hybridomas grow in tissue culture, pumping out one single antibody.
  3. True · Single specificity plus strong grip is exactly their advantage.
  4. Antibody binding · Trapped targets pile markers into a coloured bar where binding happened.
  5. It joins endless dividing with single making · Myeloma brings endless division while the B cell brings the one antibody recipe.
  6. Targeted attack, but high cost and side effects · Targeting spares most tissue, yet shared markers and very high cost limit use.
  7. Benefit against harm · Targeted benefit must outweigh side effects and cost for each patient.
  8. Cross-reaction may fake the result · Mixed antibodies can grab lookalike targets, giving false positives or negatives.
Worksheet · LightMySky