Monoclonal antibody

How it is used

Used in biopharma, diagnostics and research, often shortened to mAb. The names of therapeutic antibodies end in -mab, as in trastuzumab. They are usually produced in CHO cells in bioreactors. In the lab, monoclonal antibodies are compared with polyclonal ones, which bind to several sites on a target.

Example sentences

1. The company is developing a monoclonal antibody against a protein on tumor cells.

2. We switched to a monoclonal antibody for the western blot because it gives cleaner bands.

Common collocations

• therapeutic monoclonal antibody
• monoclonal antibody production
• humanized monoclonal antibody
• mAb

Related terms

• recombinant proteinA protein produced by putting its gene into host cells such as bacteria, yeast or mammalian cells, which then make the protein in large amounts.
• bioreactorA vessel in which cells or microorganisms are grown under carefully controlled conditions, such as temperature, pH, oxygen and mixing, to make a product.
• biosimilarA biological medicine that is highly similar to an already approved original biologic and has no meaningful differences in safety or effectiveness.
• western blotA method for detecting a specific protein in a sample: proteins are separated by size on a gel, moved onto a membrane and then detected with antibodies.
• cell lineA population of cells that can keep dividing in culture for a long time, often indefinitely, and is used as a standard model in the lab.

More terms: Biotech Products and Bioprocessing

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