Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies which are identical to each other because they were produced by B-lymphocytes which

were clones of each other.

They are produced by injecting a protein-based antigen like a toxoid (an inactivated toxin) or fragments of protein from the pathogen's cell membrane into an animal and collecting blood once B-lymphocytes have been stimulated and have begun to mitose. The B-cells are then cultured, and continue to rapidly reproduce and produce antibodies which are specific to the protein first introduced. Often the B-cells are fused with a type of cancer cell called a myeloma cell. This kind of cancer cell divides endlessly and rapidly, which is useful for the B-cell because it will produce much more antibodies.

Illustration 1: Producing Monoclonal antibodies

The process is important because it is much easier and faster than collecting massive amounts of blood and collecting all the antibodies within, largely because the blood of an animal already contains many kinds of antibodies which aren't specific to the protein, but also because massive amounts of blood would have to be harvested and purified. It is useful because Antibodies can be produced which bind to practically any protein and countless

other substances. The gene that codes for an antibody's variable zone has almost limitless variability, producing well over 100,000,000 variations which each bind to one substance with incredible specificity and consistency.

Because they are specific, consistent and can be produced for almost any substance they are used largely in testing for substances and also purifying samples.

In detection, monoclonal antibodies specific to the substance for detection are produced, for example HCG, a hormone involved in pregnancy, or the 'A' protein on red blood cells. When exposed to the substance the antibodies bind and in HCG they move along the scanner causing a line ( a positive result) and in red blood cells it causes clotting.

Illustration 2: clotting of red blood cells in response to anitbodies

They can also be used to test for cancers because different cancers produce different chemical growth hormones, as radioactive markers by tagging the antibodies with a radioactive isotope, or for differentiating by subtly different strains of a bacteria or virus.