Monoclonal Antibodies: Preparation and Use of Monoclonal Antibodies and Engineered Antibody Derivatives (Basics: From Background to Bench)

Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific reagents which now play a crucial role in medical and biological research. Monoclonal antibodies dominate many aspects of diagnostic medicine and promise to yield major therapeutic advances. Monoclonal Antibodies: The Basics provides detailed coverage of the classical methods of antibody production, including hybridization and cloning, and describes the latest techniques for genetically engineering antibodies and their derivatives. The book considers the major applications of these reagents and discusses how to select the most appropriate antibodies for particular applications. Coverage includes: the use of antibodies as laboratory and diagnostic reagents; hybridoma technology, including basic methods for immunization, hybridization, screening, cloning, and cryopreservation; antibody engineering, including how to tailor the properties of antibodies to suit the application; and application of monoclonal antibodies to the study of molecules, cells, tissues and microorganismsMonoclonal Antibodies: The Basics is essential reading for new research workers in biology and biomedicine, including graduate students. It will also be invaluable to experienced researchers who need to apply antibody-based techniques in their work, but who's primary expertise is not with antibodies.