Immunology Antibodies

Antibody Structure

Molecules composed of two light chains and two heavy chains linked by covalent disulfide bridges.

Variable Region (V)

The part of the antibody where antigen-binding activity is located.

Constant Region (C)

The region of the antibody responsible for effector function activity.

CDR Regions

The hypervariable complementarity determining regions that are the most variable parts of the antibody and determine its specificity.

Neutralization

An effector function where antibodies block the interaction of a pathogen or toxin with cellular receptors.

Opsonization

The process of coating a pathogen with antibodies to activate the complement system and facilitate ingestion by phagocytes.

Monoclonal Antibodies

Highly specific antibodies derived from a single clone of B cells that bind to a single epitope.

Polyclonal Antibodies

Versatile antibodies derived from multiple B cell clones that recognize multiple epitopes.

Hybridoma

A single cell produced by fusing a plasma cell and a myeloma cell used to generate monoclonal antibodies.

ELISA

A diagnostic technique used to detect proteins in fluid samples like blood through a color change in the presence of the antigen.

Western Immunoblotting

A molecular biology technique used to detect and quantify proteins in complex mixtures or cell lysates after separation by SDS-PAGE.

Immunohistochemistry

The use of chromogen or fluorescently labeled antibodies to stain tissue sections and map the distribution of cells.

Flow Cytometry

A technique that passes individual cells through a laser beam to detect cell surface or intracellular markers based on size

Antibody Phage Display

A method for the in vitro selection of monoclonal antibodies of virtually any species

ADCC

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity is a process where antibodies recognize cancer cells and trigger activation of effector cells like NK cells.

ADPD

Antibody-dependent phagocytosis is a process where antibodies trigger macrophages to ingest target cells.

Rituximab

A monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of B cell leukemia.

Herceptin

A monoclonal antibody therapy designed to target HER2 receptors for the treatment of breast cancer.

Checkpoint Inhibitors

Monoclonal antibodies that block molecules regulating the immune response

Keytruda

A checkpoint inhibitor that targets the PD-1 receptor on T cells to treat melanoma.