Hybridoma

Definition

A hybridoma is a cell line created by fusing an antibody-producing B-cell with a myeloma (cancer) cell, resulting in a hybrid cell that can produce large quantities of monoclonal antibodies. These cells are used extensively in research and diagnostic applications due to their ability to produce identical antibodies indefinitely.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Hybridomas are essential for producing monoclonal antibodies, which are uniform and specific.
2. The fusion process involves polyethylene glycol or electrofusion to combine the B-cell and myeloma cell.
3. Hybridomas are selected using hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) medium to ensure only fused cells survive.
4. These cells can grow indefinitely in culture while continuously producing the desired antibody.
5. Monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridomas have numerous applications, including therapeutic treatments for diseases like cancer.

Review Questions

• What type of cells are fused to create a hybridoma?
• Why is HAT medium used in the selection of hybridomas?
• What is one major application of monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridomas?

Related terms

Polyclonal Antibodies: Antibodies derived from different B-cell lines that target multiple epitopes on an antigen.

Myeloma Cell: A type of cancerous plasma cell used in creating hybridomas due to its ability to proliferate indefinitely.

Monoclonal Antibody: An antibody produced from a single clone of cells, providing specificity against a single epitope.