The hybridoma methodology for developing monoclonal antibodies has been a lab staple for more than 30 years, and it still works great for immunohistochemistry and various cell biology techniques. During the past decade, however, recombinant technologies for antibody development, combinatorial libraries, and antibody engineering have gained a strong following, especially for high-end antibody applications, including therapeutic drug development.
While recombinant methods such as phage display require fancier footwork, if you?re working with an antigen that is highly toxic or nonimmunogenic, such as some self-tumor or virus antigens, recombinant techniques may be the way to go, according to Louis Weiner at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. ?For many years, scientists tried to get around problems by changing species, and devising novel hybridoma strategies to work something out,? he says. ?But with some highly conserved antigens this turns out to be very difficult with respect to monoclonal antibodies.?
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