Application of population balance model to the loss of hybridoma antibody productivity.

A simple dynamic model has been applied to explain the population dynamics of monoclonal antibody (MAb) producing (producer) and nonproducing hybridoma cells (nonproducer) coexisting in culture. The events of mutation or loss of genes associated with antibody synthesis have been incorporated into the model to account for the conversion of a producer to a nonproducer. The model shows that the cell population is not necessarily dominated by the nonproducer, and a steady balance of producer and nonproducer populations can be achieved. A nonproducer population is undesirable, and cultivation strategies to maximize MAb production are suggested, taking into account the dynamics of a nonproducer population.