Brief History of Hybridoma Technology
By Vennela Chukka
- Origin and Function
Discovered in 1976 by Cesar Milstein and George Kohler, hybridoma technology has changed the face of immunology research. Hybridoma production combines two separate research technologies to create an immortal antibody producer:the ability to fuse two different somatic cells to create a hybrid cell (hybridoma) and the availability of induced monoclonal plasmacytomas. Plasmacytoma is abnormal (cancerous) plasma cell growth in soft tissue or bony skeleton. Plasma cells are a subset of white blood cells that are derived from mature B lymphocytes and work effectively to produce antibodies or immunoglobulins (Ig) to protect against infection.
The discovery of hybridoma technology was somewhat accidental. In hopes of further understanding immunoglobulin expression in plasmacytomas, two immunoglobulin producing plasmacytomas were fused. Upon initial fusion, immunoglobulin heavy and light chains from both sells continued to be expressed. This resulted in the failure of new immunoglobulin chains to be produced. Thus, when a variant plasmacytoma not producing wild type heavy or light chains was fused with an immunoglobulin producing line, it was effectively able to support the continued production of immunoglobulins from the producing parent.
In 1984, Milstein and Kohler received a Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for identifying that a B cell producing specific antibodies could be fused with a continuously growing plasmacytoma. Clones of such hybrid cells would inherit the ability to produce the specific antibody and the ability for uninhibited growth from the plasmacytoma. Coupled with the ability to grow exponentially and the ability to secrete specific antibodies, this hybrid cell received the name, hybridoma.
Kearney, J. (1998). Hybridomas, B cell. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/pdf/download/eid/3-s2.0-B0122267656003108/first-page-pd
Leukaemia Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2018, from https://www.leukaemia.org.au/disease-information/myeloma/solitary-plasmacytoma/
Milstein, C (1999). “The hybridoma revolution: an offshoot of basic research”. BioEssays.
We are a company founded and run by scientists. Our goal is to benefit the scientific community.