Monoclonal antibody

A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an <a href="/facts/Antibody/MX8pdTdP">antibody</a> produced from a <a href="/facts/Lineage_(evolution)/wIChE4CL">cell lineage</a> made by <a href="/facts/Cloning/Vb6SM4c7">cloning</a> a unique <a href="/facts/White_blood_cell/vsDunUK0">white blood cell</a>. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell.
<a href="/facts/Monoclonal/KpxRlmgc">Monoclonal</a> antibodies are identical and can thus have <a href="/facts/Valence_(chemistry)/ck7cHByj">monovalent</a> affinity, binding only to a particular <a href="/facts/Epitope/PL0oBuGh">epitope</a> (the part of an <a href="/facts/Antigen/9JlAernG">antigen</a> that is recognized by the antibody). In contrast, <a href="/facts/Polyclonal_antibodies/zerWqe2r">polyclonal antibodies</a> are mixtures of antibodies derived from multiple <a href="/facts/Plasma_cell/1fY4bFHR">plasma cell</a> lineages which each bind to their particular target epitope. Artificial antibodies known as <a href="/facts/Bispecific_monoclonal_antibodies/7xpSyYS1">bispecific monoclonal antibodies</a> can also be engineered which include two different antigen binding sites (<a href="/facts/Fragment_antigen-binding_region/0baeBRxR">FABs</a>) on the same antibody.
It is possible to produce monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to almost any suitable substance; they can then serve to detect or purify it. This capability has become an investigative tool in <a href="/facts/Biochemistry/fa2pWEBp">biochemistry</a>, <a href="/facts/Molecular_biology/YgqU35ub">molecular biology</a>, and <a href="/facts/Medicine/2fnp90Je">medicine</a>. Monoclonal antibodies are used in the diagnosis of illnesses such as <a href="/facts/Cancer/PVW6n1D0">cancer</a> and infections and are <a href="/facts/Monoclonal_antibody_therapy/kNC6XNuL">used therapeutically</a> in the treatment of e.g. cancer and <a href="/facts/Inflammation/Ura86MIy">inflammatory</a> diseases.

Monoclonal antibody open-in-new

Monoclonal antibody