[A strategy for the production of human monoclonal antibodies]

The EBV-hybridoma system will be, at present, the best method for rescuing low-frequency tumor-reactive B-cell clones in cancer patients to produce human monoclonal antibodies reactive with tumor-related antigens. To improve this system, we established a nobel fusion partner, 3HL3-6J(C5), which produced hybridomas efficiently (greater than 2 x 10(-5)) after fusion with EBV-transformed B cell lines. TAPC-301 and C5TK1, anti-SRBC IgM and anti-HBs IgG producer, respectively, which provided by Prof. Y. Ono, were used as standard EBV-transformed B cell lines. Their hybridomas were good antibody producers (greater than 10 micrograms/10(6) cells/24 hrs) and their cloning was relatively easy. The fusion rate was improved further when electrofusion was carried out instead of the conventional PEG fusion. Using PBL from a hepatoma patient, human monoclonal autoantibodies reactive with some cytoskeleton structure were easily produced by means of this system.