Chapter 50.6, Problem 3LO

Summary Introduction

To explain: The usefulness of monoclonal antibodies in diagnosis.

Introduction: The immune system in the human body can tolerate the antigens in its own red blood cell but produce antibodies to antigens that differ. This binding activity results in clumping (agglutination) and destruction of the foreign cells. Monoclonal antibodies refer to the antibodies that show specificity for a single epitope alone. In monoclonal antibody preparation, a vertebrate animal, typically a mouse is immunized with an antigen several times and is killed subsequently.