Recombinant antibodies for environmental analysis.

Initial steps of antibody engineering in the late eighties revolutionized the technology of antibody production, particularly in the area of immunotherapy and diagnostics. Hallmarks that seemed to be out of reach for a long time are now the state of the art, e.g. tailoring of antibodies to match particular needs or by-passing immunization by use of antibody libraries. Despite the apparent benefits of recombinant antibody technologies, this field has been opened up hesitantly for other applications. This review addresses the development of recombinant antibody synthesis in environmental analysis. Examples are given of the molecular evolution of pesticide antibodies and their application for the analysis of real samples.