What is "monoclonal antibody"

n. (context medicine English) A protein genetically engineered from a single clone of a B cell, especially one produced by fusion with a tumor cell and intended for use as a drug.

n. any of a class of antibodies produced in the laboratory by identical offspring of a hybridoma; very specific for a particular location in the body

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb or moAb) are antibodies that are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell, in contrast to polyclonal antibodies, which are made from several different immune cells. Monoclonal antibodies can have monovalent affinity, in that they bind to the same epitope (the part of an antigen that is recognized by the antibody). Engineered bispecific monoclonal antibodies also exist, where each "arm" of the antibody is specific for a different epitope.

Given almost any substance, it is possible to produce monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to that substance; they can then serve to detect or purify that substance. This has become an important tool in biochemistry, molecular biology and medicine. When used as medications, non-proprietary drug names end in -mab (see " Nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies") and many immunotherapy specialists use the word mab anacronymically.