Monoclonal antibodies: their importance to surgeons

A tremendous technological advance occurred in 1975 when a method was developed to fuse two cells producing a "hybridoma" which secretes a single clone of antibody, having one immunoglobulin (Ig) class, one structure, one affinity, and one specificity for an antigenic determinant. Because monoclonal antibodies are more precise reagents than conventional antisera they open new doors to diagnosis and therapy of disease, and they are useful tools in research. The pathologist uses monoclonals in immunocytochemistry to determine tumor type; the surgeon uses monoclonals for immunosuppression in renal transplantation; the immunologist uses monoclonals to decipher cellular and humoral interactions that could not be appreciated with polyclonal reagents. This review outlines the background of monoclonal antibodies and some of their clinically important uses, both in vitro and in vivo. We also project into the future and describe chimeric antibodies and their possible uses.