Drugs and Monoclonal antibodies

• Where are drugs extracted from?

plants

microorganisms

Examples of plants chemicals are extracted from

the heart drug digitalis originates from foxgloves

the painkiller aspirin originates from willow

penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming from the penicillin mould

What are the drug development stages?

1. new drugs made by chemists or extracted from plants

2. preclinical trials carried out on cells tissues and animals

3. clinical trials on healthy volunteers and patients

What do scientists test for in pre clinical trials?

• toxicity

• efficacy (desired effect of the drug)

• dose

clinical trials

• some patient are given placebo

• double blinded studies (both patient and doctor don’t know if its placebo or real thing)

• reduces bias

• peer review

monoclonal antibodies

are laboratory-made molecules that can mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens like viruses.

how are monoclonal antibodies created?

1. antigen is given to the mouse

2. mouse produces B lymphocytes which can produce antibodies

3. B lymphocytes from a mouse is fused with a cancer cell that can divide hundreds of times

4. this creates hybridoma

Hybridoma

cells that multiply indefinitely in the laboratory and can be used to produce a specific monoclonal antibody indefinitely

How are the Hybridoma used?

• Hybridomas are screened to check if they can produce antibodies

• Hybridomas are then cloned

• antibodies are then collected and purified

How are monoclonal antibodies used?

• pregnancy tests

• diagnostic tool for AIDS

• to treat cancer (delivers chemicals to kill cancer cells)

• to detect hormones

Ways monoclonal antibodies treat cancer

• stimulate immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells

• block receptors of cancer cells to stop them from growing

• transport toxic drugs/radioactive substances that stop growth of cell and attack them

Patient with severe liver disease was given a liver transplant.

The drug containing the monoclonal antibody is given to the patient.

Explain how the monoclonal antibody stops the patient's white blood cells from attacking the cells of the donor liver. (3)

• monoclonal antibodies are complementary to the antigen

• so they can bind together

• antibodies released by white blood cells can not bind to liver cells