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Posts Tagged ‘monoclonal antibodies’

With the discovery of monoclonal antibodies, has become the kid’s dream of immunologists, have absolutely homogeneous antibodies occurring in continuous FORIM, and always with the same specificity and affinity. Before this procedure for obtaining the antibodies, was long and tedious. First, we had to inject antigens in animals. This has the serious drawback of the heterogeneity and variability of the antibodies obtained as well as the presence of serum protein contaminants, which are almost impossible to separate. On the other hand, for the amount of antibody sufficient to inject several animals simultaneously, with the disadvantage that the antibodies obtained vary greatly from one animal to another, both in quantity and specificity and affinity. With monoclonal antibody technique, have been remedied all these defects, and as a result, it has opened a vast new chapter in the life science research and especially in medicine.

The discovery was made ​​in Cambridge (England) in 1975 by Cesar Milstein (Argentine a refugee who fled political repression in their country), and the Swiss George Kohler. So won the Nobel Prize in 1984. In the beginning was not great importance to the technology described and the authors do not even patented the process. Today has become a tremendously important tool in biological research and huge projections in the medical field. Suffice it to say that in 1987, the sale of products manufactured by this technology, exceeded $ 130 million in 1990 and over two million dollars. The antibody-producing cells are lymphocytes B. They can be extracted from spleen and cultured in vitro, but do not survive beyond a few divisions. The importance of the discovery, was to make these B cells fuse with myeloma cells (cancerous célu1as), known to be able to reproduce indefinitely in a suitable culture medium (Figure 1). In these hybrid cells was achieved something fundamental: to unite the ability to live indefinitely in myeloma cells and antibody producing B lymphocytes This procedure yielded immortal cells producing antibodies. All this coupled with the fact that each cell produces a specific antibody, so that a hybrid cell separate from the others, you can make an antibody that is always the same. Technical production procedure for producing monoclonal antibodies delay, usually four months (Figure 2). To this end, the antigen injected into mice, even when it is not pure. Read the rest of this entry »

Like monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies assist the physicians in the treatment and location of some types of medical examinations. Although the two classes of antibodies have a similar function, are quite different. If you are looking for polyclonal and want more information, this article gives an overview about the concept and what is their function.

What are the polyclonal antibodies?
Polyclonal antibodies are produced when a mammal is immunized. Normally you use a mouse, goat, or rabbit, but the use of large mammals have the ability to be advantageous since they provide a greater amount of blood plasma. When the antigen is injected, the resources of B cells producing polyclonal antibodies, which are then taken from the plasma of animals and purified. A distinction of monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies are extracted from more than one cell line. These antibodies assist the physicians in many clinical practices.

How do you pick the animals?

Because animals are an essential part of polyclonal antibodies, the choice is quite significant. As mentioned above, the most commonly used animals are mice, goats and rabbits, however, the choice is not restricted solely to them. Guinea pigs, hamsters, horses , and sheep are also known to be involved in the creation of polyclonal antibodies. Animals have to demonstrate the characteristics required for the creation of antibodies, which is quite significant. If it requires a greater amount of blood plasma, using a large animal would be more beneficial because they produce a substantial amount of blood plasma. In this case, goats and horses are the best choice. Read the rest of this entry »

In the fight against cancer, monoclonal antibodies are considered the most conmunmente used. Recently this type of therapy has gained popularity and has continued to grow and evolve from each new discovery. There are new methods that although in its early stages, seeking new and effective ways to use monoclonal antibodies in the fight against cancer diseases. Because there are those who are unaware of this issue, this article seeks to inform you on how to use monoclonal antibodies and what are the benefits to cancer patients.

What exactly are they?
A setback of polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies are produced in a laboratory, are intended to adhere to the defects in cancer cells, and perform the functions of the body’s natural antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies respond to germs, vaccines and other immune system problems. The first monoclonal antibodies were produced using cells from mice. Such antibodies can be used in the treatment of various sleep cancers, including breast and kidney, among others. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English) has been approving these antibodies in the last 10 years to treat these cancers.

What are their functions?
Basically antibodies recruit the immune system to do its work, and work to destroy cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies (Mab, the English sentence, monoclonal antibodies) work to adhere to cancer cells in order to act as a signal for the body’s immune system acts. They are usually put to use in the early stages of cancer treatment. Another type is the conjugated Mabs that are connected to drugs, toxins, or radioactive substances that are used to deliver these treatments directly to cancer cells. The conjugated monoclonal antibodies circulate through the body until they locate the target antigen. Once attached, ensure that the substance reaches the location where needed. Read the rest of this entry »