[Development of the human monoclonal antibodies]

This article describes the current state of the development of human monoclonal antibodies. The last three years brought a wealth of new techniques and it seems that the long-awaited breakthrough of these "magic" therapeutic agents is close. This paper discusses both the classical cell-biological methods (e.g. fusion with other lymphoma cells and/or Epstein Barr virus transformation of human B-cells) and the "newc gene-technology approaches. The therapeutic possibilities of human monoclonal antibodies against infectious agents and cancer related antigens and their impact are reviewed and the development strategies - both "classical" and "new" - are discussed. The in vitro immunization technique is critically reviewed.