Monoclonal Antibody

An antibody produced by cells that are all derived from a single antibody-producing cell. Once a cell capable of generating an antibody with desired therapeutic characteristics is selected, laboratory processes are used to clone (make large numbers of) these cells. Since the cells are all identical and are produced by cloning one specific cell in great numbers, they are called monoclonal and can be used to continuously produce identical antibody molecules with these same therapeutic characteristics.