Monoclonal Antibody Treatment for Malignant Hematologic Diseases, June 26, 1986

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment for Malignant Hematologic Diseases, June 26, 1986

Immunotherapy is one of the treatment methods for malignant tumors. Although passive immunotherapy has definite therapeutic effects, its efficacy is short-lived and systemic reactions are significant, mainly limited by antibody serum rejection. Since the establishment of lymphocyte hybridization technology, we have been able to continuously obtain high-concentration, uniform antibodies that specifically target particular antigens—monoclonal antibodies (MOAb). In recent years, monoclonal antibody hybridoma strains capable of producing antibodies against multiple tumor antigens have been developed, and some monoclonal antibodies have already been trialed in clinical treatment, with promising results expected.

Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies that are chemically identical in structure to a specific antigen determinant. For a long time, people have known that variations in immunoglobulins can lead to tumor formation—for example, myeloma protein caused by multiple myeloma is simply an immunoglobulin, although its antibody activity is unknown, these tumor cells can survive for a long time in vitro culture. In 1975, someone successfully fused a mouse myeloma cell line with splenic cells to establish the first lymphocyte hybridoma capable of producing MOAb, and since then, the technology for producing various monoclonal antibodies through lymphocyte hybridomas has developed. Lymphocyte hybridomas can produce monoclonal antibodies with specific targeting, which has very important clinical significance.

The basic steps and principles of this technology are: ① selecting a suitable myeloma cell line; ② preparing a suspension of liver lymphocytes immunized with a specific antigen; ③ mixing and hybridizing the two; ④ culturing them in a selective medium (HAT) suitable for hybridoma cell growth.