Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are highly specific proteins used in diagnostic tests and treatments.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium that can cause severe respiratory infections, particularly in elderly or immunocompromised patients. Recently, researchers have isolated human lymphocytes from individuals who recovered from a pneumococcal infection to produce human mAbs.
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can be detected in sputum samples from patients. A sample is placed on a microscope slide. Describe how these human mAbs and a fluorescent dye could be used to detect the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae on the slide.
In pre-clinical testing, these mAbs were shown to carry out opsonisation, leading to increased phagocytosis of the bacteria by white blood cells. Explain how increased phagocytosis helps the patient recover from the infection.
The mAb treatment is shown to be safe and effective in tissue cultures and live animal models. It is now ready for clinical trials on humans. Describe how these clinical trials should be designed and conducted.
Suggest one reason why mAbs produced from human lymphocytes are generally more successful in treating patients than mAbs produced using mouse lymphocytes.
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.