ABSTRACT
Monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridomas are used in many different areas of biology. Hybridoma technology was introduced by G. Kohler and C. Milstein who reported in 1975 how to generate an unlimited amount of homogeneous antibodies against desired antigens by fusing antibody-secreting spleen cells with myeloma cells. The antibody-producing B cells from the spleen are fused with myeloma tumor cells to give immortal cell lines called hybridomas. Larger amounts of antibody are obtained by injecting the hybridomas into pristane-primed mice. Hybridomas are recloned for two different reasons. One is that the cells in a microtiter well may be a mixture of clones, secreting different antibodies. The second reason for recloning concerns the observation that hybridomas may stop secreting their antibody. Hybridoma clones generating antibodies that are of interest are then transferred to 24-well microtiter plates from which they can be recloned 2 to 7 days later.
