A woman has a tumour. The cancer cells in the tumour have a protein called HER2 on their cell membranes. Very few healthy cells have this protein. The woman is treated with a monoclonal antibody that binds to HER2 and carries a toxic drug.
Explain why the toxic drug is delivered to the cancer cells and not to most of the healthy cells.
Chemotherapy drugs given on their own kill any cell that is dividing quickly. Explain why chemotherapy causes side effects such as hair loss.
Suggest why this antibody treatment would not work for a woman whose cancer cells do not have HER2.
Some healthy heart muscle cells also have HER2 on their membranes. Suggest one problem this could cause.
42 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 3.2 Monoclonal antibodies (HT only), covering 3.2.1 Producing monoclonal antibodies and 3.2.2 Uses of monoclonal antibodies. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.