Application of monoclonal antibodies in basic research, diagnosis, and therapy

Monoclonal antibodies are the natural products of hybrid cells called hybridomas, which are obtained from fusion of cultured myeloma cells with spleen cells from an immunized animal. Monoclonal antibodies can exhibit high specificity and affinity for distinct determinants (epitopes) in low-molecular-weight compounds and macromolecules. The availability of an inexhaustible and easily reproducible source of such antibodies, which can be harvested from cell culture supernatants of permanent hybrid cell lines and animal ascites fluids, promises to advance considerably our knowledge of biology at the cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels. In the future, hybridoma technology should allow preparation of many well-characterized diagnostic tools and development of novel therapeutic reagents. This presentation provides an overview of the rapidly growing areas in which monoclonal antibodies are being implemented. A few specific examples illustrate their value in advancing our knowledge of biomedical systems.