Ethical Issues Surrounding the Use of Monoclonal Antibodies
Mindmap on the ethics behind using monoclonal antibodies in medicine
- Created by: hanna.m.w
- Created on: 13-02-17 10:34
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- Ethical Issues behind the Use of Monoclonal Antibodies
- Positives
- Once a suitable hybridoma is developed- the antibodies can be generated on a large scale
- As they are so specific they can often diagnose diseases earlier than other technologies- the patient has a higher chance of survival and often less intense treatment
- Saves money on treatments for the NHS- can go to funding other care/research
- Using monoclonal antibodies in cancer treatment has less severe side effects than alternative treatment eg radiotherapy / chemotherapy can cause hair loss, suppression of the immune system, reduced ability to clot blood
- They are used for detecting early pregnancies so the mother can then take precautions to ensure the welfare of her and her child
- They can reduce the affects of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis by binding to T cells in the immune system reducing the immune response
- They allow organs to be transplanted as they can reduce the immune response also by binding to T cells- saving lives
- Also used to produce insulin to treat Type 1 diabetes
- Negatives
- On Mice
- You have to give them induced cancer- is this okay?
- FCA- which is given to enhance the immune system gives the mouse very painful lesions when it is injected
- Pristane- given as a "priming agent" causes granulomatous reactions(inflammation
- You create transgenic animals (giving mice the properties of humans to make the antibodies suitable for use in humans)
- The mice die which is when you harvest the ascites(fluid in the abdomen which contains a high concentration of antibodies)
- On Humans
- Testing new drugs presents concerns
- Lots of students take part in drug trials as they have little money- is it fair to take advantage of people like this?
- March 2006- 6 healthy volunteers suffered multiple organ failure after a new monoclonal antibody TGN1412 caused immune response that lead to multiple organ failure
- Some deaths have been reported after monoclonal antibodies were used to treat multiple sclerosis
- side effects which may include: allergic reactions, flu like symptoms, faintness and fatigue, breathlessness
- Expensive to produce- could the funding go to finding other cures for diseases?
- Testing new drugs presents concerns
- On Mice
- Positives
- Untitled
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