I think I have it! I think I have a project idea! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!
I'm just so excited now! I watched that video Dr. Murch-Shafer gave me on monoclonal antibodies, and I love the idea! It's just so cool! It incorporates so much of the different aspects of biology that its a perfect project.
Here's a quick rundown: Monoclonal antibodies are a method of fighting disease by injecting antibodies that specifically target one particular molecule. Say I wanted to kill cancer cells without harming body cells. Well, I could produce monoclonal antibodies that bind specifically to the particular cancer cell and to NO OTHER CELLS. Then you can attatch a molecule to the antibody that kills the cancer cell.
For my project, I would actually be creating these antibodies from scratch. This involves:
- exposing mice to the specific antigen that I want to target - when the mice become immune to the antigen, it means they have produced the antibodies - I remove the spleens of the mice because that's where the cells that create the antibodies are made - I do a long, complicated process of isolating the specific antibody creating cells (lymphocytes) - Then I fuse the lymphocytes with a type of cancer cell (another long, complicated process). This allows the unlimited production of antibodies - Then I test to make sure the antibodies created will attatch to the original antigen - From then on, I can just harvest antibodies from the cell colonies I've created - The antiboides can then be used in a variety of different ways
I don't know how many people understood all that, but I'm really excited. Dealing with genetics and the immune system is the stuff that really fascinates me about biology in the first place. That, and it just sounds so professional!
So, now I have a direction, and I just need to get all the specifics planned out. So, I shall talk to Dr. Murch-Shafer next week, and see if I can really do this.
