Antibody production by human X human hybridomas in serum-free medium

Four human X human hybridomas were adapted to growth in serum-free medium consisting of RPMI 1640 supplemented with bovine serum albumin and transferrin (BSA/Tf medium). Production of specific monoclonal antibodies was maintained for more than 2 months. Although the maximal cell density achieved was lower than that in serum-supplemented medium, immunoglobulin production was similar or higher when results were expressed on a per viable cell basis. Thus it is feasible to grow human X human hybridomas in serum-free culture and it is possible that this will become the method of choice for large scale production of human monoclonal antibodies.