Cell Biology and Monoclonal Antibodies

Flashcards covering the concepts of stem cells, antibody structure, hybridoma technology, and therapeutic applications of monoclonal antibodies.

Saviour sibling

A child conceived primarily to provide a compatible stem cell, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood transplant to an older brother or sister suffering from a life-threatening illness.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb or moAb)

An antibody produced by a single clone of cells.

Antigen binding

The interaction between antibodies, or immunoglobulins, and specific antigens, characterized by the high affinity of the variable segments of the antibody's heavy and light chains.

Polyclonal antibody

A mixed population of antibodies that is cheap to produce, tolerant of small changes in protein structure, and may bind to different areas of the target molecule.

Hybridoma technology

A methodology used to overcome the short lifespan of primary B cells to produce identical, highly specific antibodies continuously in a laboratory setting.

Myeloma

Normal plasma cells (B cells) that have been transformed into malignant plasma cells.

B cells (B lymphocytes)

White blood cells that produce specialized proteins called antibodies to hunt down and neutralize invading viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

Somatic cell hybridization

A technique that fuses cells from different tissues or species (such as human and mouse cells) to create a single hybrid cell, used for gene mapping and antibody production.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)

A substance used in cell fusion believed to dehydrate lipid headgroups by binding a large number of water molecules, effectively decreasing the chemical activity of the water.

HGPRT

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase; a crucial enzyme that recycles purines (hypoxanthine and guanine) into nucleotides like IMP and GMP to conserve energy and raw materials.

HAT medium

A selection growth mixture containing chemicals that block a cell's normal DNA synthesis; it is used to filter out unfused cells during hybridoma production by forcing reliance on the purine salvage pathway.

HAMA (Human anti-mouse antibodies)

An immune response mounted by a human patient against mouse antibodies, leading to rapid elimination of the therapeutic antibodies and potential kidney damage.

Chimeric antibodies

Mouse-human hybrid antibodies produced using genetic engineering that combine the variable regions of a mouse antibody with the constant regions of a human antibody.

Humanized antibodies

Antibodies created by combining only the hypervariable regions (antigen-binding site) of a mouse antibody with the rest of a human antibody molecule.

CR6261

A monoclonal antibody that binds to a broad range of influenza viruses, including the 1918 Spanish flu and H5N1 avian influenza.

Herceptin

A targeted monoclonal antibody used to treat HER2-positive breast and stomach cancers by halting tumor growth and flagging cells for immune destruction.