Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies which are made to target particular cells or chemicals in the body.

Some lymphocytes (called B lymphocytes) make antibodies but cannot divide. Scientists combine mouse B lymphocytes which have been stimulated to make a particular antibody with a type of tumour cell to make a cell called a hybridoma. Hybridoma cells can both make a specific antibody and divide. The hybridoma cells are cloned to make a large number of identical cells which all make the same antibodies. The antibodies are collected and purified. These are monoclonal antibodies - antibodies from a single clone of cells

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/infectiousdiseases_immunity/immunity 5.cfm

Monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridoma cells can be used in a number of ways

Pregnancy tests rely on monoclonal antibodies which bind to a hormone (HCG) which is made in the early stages of pregnancy. Tiny amounts of the hormone are passed out of the body in the urine. This is what is picked up by the monoclonal antibodies in the pregnancy test. Diagnosis of disease - monoclonal antibodies can be made which bind to specific antigens on blood clots or on cancer cells. The monoclonal antibodies can also carry markers which make it easy for doctors to see where they have built up. This allows doctors to detect problems before they seriously affect a person's health. For example, the blood test for prostate cancer uses monoclonal antibodies to bind to prostrate-specific antigens. Treatment of disease - monoclonal antibodies can be used to carry drugs to specific tissues. Because they bind to the antigens in a tumour, for example, they can be used to take drugs or radioactive substances directly to the cancer cells.

Monoclonal antibodies can be used to treat viral diseases, traditionally considered "untreatable". In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that antibodies may lead to a cure for AIDS (P/S/L, 1997). Monoclonal antibodies can be used to classify strains of a single pathogen, e.g. Neisseria gonorrhoeae can be typed using monoclonal antibodies. Researchers use monoclonal antibodies to identify and to trace specific cells or molecules in an organism, e.g. developmental biologists at tyhe University of Oregon use monoclonal antibodies to find out which proteins are responsible for cell differentiation in the respiratory system. OKT3, an antibody to the T3 antigen of T cells, is used to alleviate the problem of organ rejection in patients who have had organ transplants (Transweb, 1996).

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/infectiousdiseases_immunity/immunity5.cf m

P/S/L Consulting Group, Inc. 1997. Combination HIV-IG/monoclonal antibody dose neutralizes AIDS virus. Transweb. 1996. Monoclonal antibodies and OKT3.

Pregnancy test
A pregnancy test attempts to determine whether a woman is pregnant. Markers that indicate pregnancy are found in urine and blood, and pregnancy tests require sampling one of these substances. The first of these markers to be discovered, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). While hCG is a reliable marker of pregnancy, it cannot be detected until after implantation:[1] this results in false negatives if the test is performed during the very early stages of pregnancy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy_test#Modern_tests

How does a pregnancy test work?

Modern pregnancy tests work by assessing the presence or absence of hCG in a woman's blood or urine. The cells that form the placenta (trophoblastic cells), produce a unique hormone, hCG. hCG production begins at the time when afertilised egg implants into the lining of a woman's uterus to form a pregnancy. hCG levels increase exponentially in the first 710 weeks of pregnancy, and peaks in 1012 weeks before decreasing to a lower level by 1620 weeks. This means pregnancy can be detected in a woman shortly after embryo implantation, because hCG becomes present in her urine and blood. Intact hCG molecules, which consist of two subunits known as the alpha and beta subunits, are similar to other human hormones. The beta subunit of hCG is unique, so testing for the presence of hCG using antibodies to the beta subunit enables the presence of hCG to be distinguished from the presence of other similar hormones. Modern pregnancy tests, whether they assess hCG levels in blood or urine, are based on this science. http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/health-investigation/pregnancy-test/72#c8

A typical urinary pregnancy test kit provides a qualitative (i.e. positive/negative) result. It contains a test strip that is exposed to the urine of a potentially pregnant woman. The strip has a plasma membrane containing three types of antibodies and dyes in three distinct test zones: the reaction, test and control zones. The test strip should be exposed to urine at a specific point indicated in the manufacturer's instructions (e.g. at one end, or by placing urine in a small well in the strip), following which urine will move through the zones. Zone one, known as the reaction zone, contains monoclonal hCG alpha-chain specific antibodies. If hCG is present in the urine, these enzymes will bind to hCG molecules before passing through to the second zone, known as the test zone. In the absence of hCG in the urine, the enzymes will remain unbound, but will also be drawn along the test strip to the test zone. The test zone contains polyclonal anti-hCG antibodies and a dye substrate that will react when the polyclonal antibodies are activated, indicating pregnancy. If hCG is present in the urine sample, it will have bound to hCG alpha-chain specific antibodies in the reaction zone of the test before reaching the test zone. The polyclonal anti-hCG antibodies (and then the colour reagent) are mobilised only in the presence of these bound molecules, so a coloured stripe or dot appears in the test zone only if hCG is present in the urine (i.e the woman is pregnant).

The third or control zone serves to validate that the test has been performed successfully. While the bound anti-hCG enzymes from the reaction zone interact with antibodies in the test zone, unbound enzymes continue to be drawn along the test strip to the control zone. Here they react with a third antibody and then mobilise a second dye substrate. A coloured line or dot therefore appears in the control zone if the test worked properly.

False Positives and Negatives Most medications, including birth control pills and antibiotics, do not affect the results of pregnancy tests. Alcohol and illegal drugs do not affect the test results. The only drugs that can cause a false positive are those containing the pregnancy hormone hCG in them (usually used for treating infertility). Some tissues in a non-pregnant woman can produce hCG, but the levels are normally too low to be within the detectable range of the tests. Also, about half of all conceptions don't proceed to pregnancy, so there may be chemical 'positives' for a pregnancy that won't progress. For some urine tests, evaporation may form a line that could be interpreted as a 'positive'. This is why tests have a time limit during which you should examine the results. It's untrue that urine from a man will give a positive test result. Although the level of hCG rises over time for a pregant women, the quantity of hCG for one woman is different from the amount produced in another. This means some women may not have enough hCG in their urine or blood right at six days post-conception to see a positive test result. All tests on the market should be sensitive enough to give a highly accurate result (~97-99%) by the time a woman misses her period.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/pregnancytest.htm