Novel applications of monoclonal antibodies

The ability to "engineer" antibodies, using the techniques of somatic cell genetics and cell fusion, has opened a new era in immunochemistry. No longer are immunologists, limited by the vagaries of polyclonal antibody production. Using hybridoma technology, consistent preparations of precisely defined monoclonal antibodies are now available. Immunochemists are free to pick and choose those precisely defined characteristics of a homogeneous species of antibody that are best suited for a given application. To date, monoclonal antibodies have been used primarily as research chemicals. However, the implications of this new technology for diagnostic, therapeutic, and separation systems are rapidly becoming apparent.