Antibody Technologies

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are large protein molecules produced by white blood cells that seek out and destroy harmful foreign substances. Monoclonal antibodies are finding wide application in many areas of medicine and biologic science. These antibodies have begun to replace conventional antibodies in blood banking and are used in the identification of organisms in the bacteriology laboratory. Monoclonal antibodies have also been extensively used in radioimmunoassay to measure serum levels of various substances.

They have very useful in quantitating types of WBCs and subgroups of lymphocytes. They are also used in the diagnosis of leukemia. More recently, monoclonal antibodies have been used in the treatment of malignancies. They have been used to treat transplant rejection episodes, purge bone marrow of tumor cells in bone marrow transplants, and remove mature T cells that cause GVH disease in bone marrow transplants.

There are several types of monoclonal antibodies on the market and in development. Most of the monoclonal antibodies on the market are whole antibodies, while some are fragments of antibodies. There are also variable fragment monoclonal antibodies and bispecific monoclonal antibodies.