ABSTRACT
The production of monoclonal antibodies has become routine in many laboratories, However, laboratories that have not established monoclonal antibody production may have to decide whether to devote resources to establishing the technology or to approach commercial or private groups to make the antibodies for them. In order to help in making the right decision, this chapter describes conventional techniques for monoclonal antibody production and some of the improvements in technology that have been developed. The chapter does not attempt an exhaustive review of methodology; the intention is to provide the reader with a broad understanding of the techniques and equipment needed to make and use monoclonal antibodies. A number of monographs devoted specifically to the technology of monoclonal antibody production are available (Campbell, 1991; Goding, 1986; Langone and van Vunakis, 1983; Peters and Baumgarten, 1992; Schook, 1987; Weir et al., 1986; Zola, 1987).
