What is a monoclonal antibody and how is it produced?

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) is an antibody produced by a single clone of B cells, recognizing a single epitope with high specificity. Traditional production uses hybridoma technology: immunize mice with antigen, fuse spleen B cells with myeloma cells to create immortal antibody-producing hybridomas, screen for desired specificity, and grow selected clones. Modern production uses recombinant DNA technology in mammalian cell lines (CHO, HEK293) for better scalability. Antibodies can be murine (-omab), chimeric (-ximab), humanized (-zumab), or fully human (-umab). Applications include cancer therapy (rituximab), autoimmune diseases (adalimumab), and infectious diseases. The global mAb market exceeds $150 billion.