Monoclonal antibody

an antibody produced by a clone or genetically homogeneous population of fused hybrid cells, i.e., hybridoma, which are usually cloned establish cell lines producing a specific antibody that is chemically and immunologically homogeneous

Description
The technique for producing monoclonal antibodies, invented in 1975 by molecular biologists Cesar Milstein and Georges Kohler, has become a mainstay of immunologic research and medical diagnosis. Monoclonal antibodies serve as experimental probes in cell biology, biochemistry, and parasitology, and are used in purification of biologic substances and certain drugs (e.g., interferons). Because of their high specificity in binding to target antigens, they provide far more accurate assays than conventional antiserum. Tagged with radionuclides, they have been employed to deliver radiation doses directly to cancerous tissues. While labeling using monoclonal antibodies is more specific than the mixture of antibodies contained in conventional antiserum, the signal intensity of the latter is usually higher and less sensitive to conformational changes in the antigen; monoclonal antibodies recognise a single epitope on the antigen target, which is readily saturated or might become inaccessible, while polyclonal mixtures recognise a range of epitopes. Syn MoAbs