ABSTRACT
References ..................................................................................................................................... 90
The ability to produce homogenous antibody preparations was first documented 30 years ago by
Kohler and Milstein when they generated of the first hybridomas [1] via the somatic cell fusion of
antibody secreting B cells with an immortalized myeloma cell line. Since this groundbreaking
discovery, scientists have harnessed the specific antigen binding capacity of monoclonal antibodies
(MAbs) in a multitude of in vitro and in vivo applications. MAbs are key reagents in ELISAs
(enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assays), western blots, immuopreciptations, immunostaining of
cells and tissues, immunoaffinity purification as well as neutralization, activation, or depletion of
cells in vitro and in vivo [2-5]. Additionally, MAbs are utilized in the clinical setting where they
facilitate radioimmunoimaging procedures and also are the cornerstone of such immunotherapeu-
tics as the breast cancer drug Herceptin
[6-13].
