The production of more useful monoclonal antibodies I. Modifications of the basic technology.

Hybridoma technology has greatly expanded the usefulness and application of immunoassays and created the potential for in-vivo immunodiagnosis and therapy. While the basic technique has not changed appreciably, a number of modifications have been introduced which make it possible to obtain more useful monoclonal antibodies and to generate monoclonals against weakly immunogenic substances. In this first part of a two-part review, Matthew Scharff and his colleagues review the most useful of these modifications in the production of animal monoclonal antibodies, paying particular attention to the problem of raising antibodies against small amounts of weak immunogens.