• Question: How do antibodies work to neutralize antigens?

    Asked by Nico ;-) to Sian, Ben on 9 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Ben Mulhearn

      Ben Mulhearn answered on 9 Mar 2018:

      Antibodies look a bit like a fork with two prongs and the handle. The “pronged part” is designed inside B cells. The B cells these release these antibodies into circulation. The prong reacts with antigens (this just means targets) on things like bacteria and viruses, and coats them. The “handle” part of the antibody is like a big red flag which actracts the other immune cells,which can then kill the microbes by eating them.

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