Monoclonal antibodies – hybridomas, ELISA and HIV testing
BiologyHealth & DiseaseAges 15–16Virtual lab
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Sign in to playA step-by-step virtual lab: immunise a mouse, collect B cells, fuse them with myeloma cells using PEG, select hybridomas in HAT medium, screen a 96-well plate and clone the cell that makes the wanted antibody. Uses include an hCG pregnancy test strip and an antibody–drug conjugate that targets cancer cells. Run an indirect or sandwich ELISA with washes and controls and read the absorbance, then see HIV replicate in helper T cells and why antibody tests have a window period.
Lesson: Monoclonal antibodies: hybridoma technique, uses in diagnosis and treatment, ELISA
What it shows
This virtual lab follows how monoclonal antibodies are made and used. A mouse is immunised, its B cells are fused with myeloma cells, and only hybridomas survive in HAT medium; limiting dilution and ELISA find the one clone that makes the wanted antibody. Wrong choices give wrong results. The Uses screen shows an hCG test strip and an antibody–drug conjugate. In the ELISA, skipping a wash gives false positives, and controls and a cut-off decide validity. The HIV model uses typical untreated values and a relative antibody curve; cell numbers are scaled down.
How to use
In Make monoclonal antibodies, choose the antibody wanted, then press the step buttons in order, tap an ELISA-positive well and press Clone the chosen well. In Uses, set hCG in urine, press Dip the strip, then Read the result, or choose a drug and press Inject. In ELISA, press the reagent buttons and Wash the wells in your own order, then Stop and read A₄₅₀. In HIV and testing, drag Time since infection and press Test with ELISA now.
Parameters you can change
- Screen Make monoclonal antibodies, Uses: pregnancy test, targeted drug, ELISA on a 96-well plate, HIV and testing
- Antibody wanted Anti-hCG (pregnancy test), Anti-HER2 (breast cancer treatment)
- Use Pregnancy test strip (hCG), Targeted cancer drug
- hCG concentration in urine 0–500 mIU/mL
- ELISA type Indirect (detects anti-HIV antibodies), Sandwich (detects hCG)
- Substrate incubation time 1–30 min
- Time since HIV infection 0–624 week
- HIV treatment No treatment, Antiretroviral therapy from month 6, Antiretroviral therapy from year 7
Questions to explore
- Why do only hybridoma cells survive in HAT medium, and what would happen to the plate without PEG?
- If you skip the wash after the enzyme-linked antibody, what does the negative control show and why?
- Why can a person infected with HIV a few weeks ago still have a negative antibody ELISA?
