Mouse monoclonal antibodies in biological research: strategies for high-throughput production

Mouse monoclonal antibodies have become key components in basic research as well as in the clinical laboratory. Being invaluable tools in many biological assays, they continue to be the primary choice in the research field, although the conventional technology used for hybridoma generation and screening is a still lengthy, time-consuming and low-throughput process. With the advent of genetic immunisation and the application of automation and microarray to the traditional biological assays, the monoclonal antibody field has been revolutionised. Here, we will briefly review the most relevant strategies which have made the manufacture of murine monoclonal antibodies a faster and high-throughput technology.