However, while B cells can be used to harvest antibodies, these cells have a limited lifespan and will eventually stop producing the antibody in time. To overcome this limitation, a specific antibody-producing B cell is fused with a myeloma cell to create an immortalized B cell-myeloma hybridoma which can provide a constant supply of highly specific monoclonal antibody.
Monoclonal antibodies can be raised against many targets. Specific antibody characteristics (sensitivity requirements and cross reactivity levels) can be identified and monoclonal antibodies screened to identify any cell lines exhibiting the required characteristics.
Monoclonals can also be generated to cross react with a group of molecules. This can be quite useful in cases where there are multiple possible combinations of drugs to be tested in a patient.
Monoclonals are typically rat or mouse monoclonals, but they can also be generated from various species such as rabbit and goat.
Advantages of mAbs
Immortal supply. Once a monoclonal antibody hybridoma is created, it can produce unlimited quantities of highly specific antibodies.
High specificity. mAbs are ideal for use as primary antibody in an assay, or for detecting antigens in tissues.
High reproducibility. They produce low background staining and lot-to-lot variation, and have low cross-reactivity. As such, they provide reproducible results and ensure efficiency in affinity purification.
