USE OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL HALT COVID PROGRESSION

USE OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL HALT COVID PROGRESSION

Subject : Science & tech

Context : The initial use of monoclonal antibody cocktail, the combination of drugs used on former US President Donald Trump and given emergency use approval in India in early May, has given encouraging results, with doctors involved touting it as the “first real treatment for Covid-19”.

Concept :

Monoclonal Antibodies:

• Antibodies are proteins produced naturally by the immune system that target a specific foreign object (antigen). They are called monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) when they are produced by clones derived from a single parent cell.
• They are man-made proteins that act like a human antibody in the immune system. They are made by cloning a unique white blood cell.
• mAbs have monovalent affinity, it binds only to the same epitope i.e. the part of an antigen that is recognized by the antibody.
• They are designed to perform many roles, like they can be used to carry drugs, toxins, or radioactive substances directly to affected cells.
• mAbs are used to treat many diseases, including some types of cancer.