Production of human hybridomas secreting antibodies to measles virus

Monoclonal antibodies against a variety of antigens can be produced using techniques of somatic cell hybridization between cells of rodent myeloma lines and B cells derived from animals immunized against a given antigen. However, because of the monoclonal antibodies secreted by these hybridomas are of rodent origin, their use in human immunotherapy is limited. Thus the production of B-cell hybrids that secrete human monoclonal antibodies may be of considerable value. We have hybridized a hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT)-deficient human B-cell line derived from a patient suffering from multiple myeloma with peripheral lymphocytes obtained from a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). These hybridomas were found to secrete human IgM specific for measles virus nucleocapsids.