A laboratory needs a large quantity of one monoclonal antibody to test many drinking-water samples for a pathogen. The laboratory has antibody-producing lymphocytes from a mouse that was injected with an antigen from the pathogen, and a culture of tumour cells. A technician suggests growing the tumour cells alone.
Why would this method be unsuitable?
The tumour cells make the wanted antibody only while the pathogen is present.
The tumour cells produce the antigen, so the antibody cannot be purified.
The tumour cells make the wanted antibody but cannot be cloned into identical cells.
The tumour cells divide rapidly but do not make the wanted antibody.
60 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.