Overview

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• Source: Microbioz India


• Date: 16 Nov,2024

Hybridoma technology is a unique technique that has enabled the generation of clones of cells that produce identical antibodies, and is a wide used throughout the world as an efficient method for the rabid production of monoclonal antibodies. This technique was refined in the 1970s by César Milstein and Georges Köhler, since then it has changed biological research, and diagnostics, as well as therapy. Monoclonal antibodies produced with this method benefit the healthcare industry significantly in treating various diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and a variety of infectious diseases.

Now, let’s look at the definition of hybridoma technology, its genetic modification, and the methods that have made it necessary in today’s biology and medicine.

What is Hybridoma Technology?

Hybridoma technology is largely based on the incorporation of two distinct cell types: a B-lymphocyte cell type which produces antibodies and a myeloma cell type which is an abnormal B cell cancerous cell.

Here’s how the process works:

1. The B-lymphocytes are retrieved from the spleens of mice which have been injected with the antigen which is to elicit an antibody in the body.
2. These B cells are short-lived in culture and respond specifically to antigenic stimulation by producing the corresponding antibody.
3. To prevent that, these B cells can be hybridized with myeloma cells. Myeloma cells are cancer cells which are able to grow uncontrollablybut do not synthesize any antibodies.
4. Just provided cells, hybridomas preserve the salient characteristics of all parent cells that produce high yield of vast amount of antibodies from B cells and have for example the capacity to replicate profusely with Myeloma cells.
5. Following fusion, hybridomas are screened for the desired antibody producing cells and the ready cells are expanded in culture to form large amounts of monoclonal antibodies.
6. What is Hybridoma Technology And why is it useful?

The application of the hybridoma cell technology is of great value for various key points which include among others:

Stability and Targeting

Monoclonal antibodies produced by the use of the hybridoma technique are highly specific against one antigen and of one unique’s target. This amount of accuracy is important in researches, diagnostics, therapeutics etc as a scientist or doctor is able to pinpoint and attack a specific marker or a pathogen of the disease with much accuracy.

Extensive Applications in Diagnostics

Monoclonal antibodies obtained by means of the hybridoma technology are being incorporated in most diagnostic tests. For instance, tests of monoclonal antibodies like P test, HIV test and many bioassays for screening pathogens and disease biomarkers have been developed for the fast detection of the diseases. Their specificity minimizes chances of inaccurate tests and reduce the negative and positive false predictions.

Therapeutic Applications

As mentioned earlier, one of the major advances that can be contributed to hybridoma technology is in the medicine field. Antibodies that are developed and produced in vitro targets a disease via binding to epitopes in specific parts of the body where such antibodies are needed in this case, monoclonal antibodies are used as a therapeutic treatment for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and also infectious diseases. For example, the use of the monoclonal antibody drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) which is used to target and destroy tumor cells in patients with over-expressed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer patients. These monoclonal antibody therapies work by targeting and attaching themselves to specific antigens on a cancer cell whereby the immune system can then target and kill that cell or inhibit processes in that cell that are harmful to the body.

Research Advancements

As for immunobiology, hybrid molecules are used to generate monoclonal antibodies that are produced from only one type of cell creating clones of that cell, these antibodies are useful study tools that aid in cellular processes, protein abnormalities, as well as immunological responses to pathogens. Any antibody researcher can employ invivo antibodies of mice and create a hybridoma to produce specific antibodies or use these antibodies to capture specific molecules and study a few in a cell of certain interest and their function in the disease.

How Hybridoma Technology Transformed Medicine and Research

One cannot underestimate the role of science and medicine in the development of hybridoma technology – indeed it would be an understatement to say that hybridome technology impacted science and medicine sector as this development has made it possible, where it was hardly possible before to produce a large number of pure antibodies. The development of hybridoma technologies and production processes has tackled that problem by enabling mass production of monoclonal antibodies, and production rate of ascitic hybridoma or monoclonal is not a limiting factor.

Hybridoma technology has made significant changes to the following key areas:

1. Cancer Treatment: Monoclonal antibodies are produced that are capable of detecting and binding to proteins on the surface of cancer cells, making it easier to both treat and diagnose cancer patients. They can serve to either tag the cancer cells for death at the hands of the immune system, or obstruct growth factors that tumors depend on.
2. Immunotherapy: In the case of autoimmune disorders, for example in rheumatoid arthritis or in multiple sclerosis, monoclonal antibodies targeting specific cells or molecules responsible for hyper-reactivity of the immune system and inflammatory cells could be employed to control the level of damage inflicted.
3. COVID-19 and Infectious Diseases: The monoclonal antibodies were routinely used in reducing the effects of COVID-19 on infected patients during the pandemic. recovery was hastened due to a reduction in the severity of symptoms.
4. What’s in Store for Hybridoma Technology?

Although advanced robotics biotechnology has shown effective means of forming hybridoma monoclones, there are current technologies in development that boast faster production times, even as the reliability of forming hybridomas remains. For instance, particularly fusing one single B-cell cloning to phage display can form antibodies via non-cell mechanical fusion. However, the hybridoma technology lingers predominately in most laboratories for its dependability and substantial functionalities.

Conclusion: The Future of Hybridoma Technology on the Industry and Society at Large.

The hybridoma technique has been effective in mitigating the challenges of producing specific antibodies in mass amounts for the field of biotechnology. To lower costs and create new therapies or even diagnostics and research, it has promising applications in the treatment of some of the world’s most complex diseases. Whether it’s finding diseases in the early stages, directing research focus, or treating the disease itself, hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies have transformed early 21 century medicine. Given the nature of ongoing research, hybridoma technology is likely to be of paramount importance in the future, fuelling further developments in society and health care.