monoclonal antibody

noun

plural monoclonal antibodies

: an antibody that is derived from the clone of a single B cell and that is produced in large quantities of identical cells possessing affinity for the same epitope on a specific antigen (as a cancer cell)

Note: Monoclonal antibodies are typically used in immunotherapy (such as in the treatment of autoimmune or inflammatory disorders and cancer), diagnostic testing, and cell identification and tracing. Hybridoma cell lines are typically employed to produce an unlimited supply of monoclonal antibodies.

Researchers studying this and other cancers have long sought to use monoclonal antibodies—biological molecules that bind only to particular target cells—to attack tumors directly or to shuttle toxins selectively to cancer cells.

—R. Weiss

The ideal immunosuppressive monoclonal antibody would be one that abrogates responses to a defined antigen and preserves responses to all others.

—Thomas A. Waldmann

The drug, which would be given by intravenous infusion every four weeks, is a monoclonal antibody that tamps down the immune system …

—Andrew Pollack

—abbreviation Mab, mAb, MAB, mab

Examples of monoclonal antibody in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For babies under 8 months old, and some babies between 8 months and 24 months, there are two monoclonal antibody shots available. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2023

Adults older than 60 are eligible for an RSV vaccine, while babies and young children are recommended to receive monoclonal antibodies that will help reduce the risk of severe illness should they get infected. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023

Xolair is a monoclonal antibody, a type of treatment that works by blocking the body’s natural response to allergens. —Jonel Aleccia, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024

One of the monoclonal antibody shots, Beyfortus, manufactured by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, reduces the risk of severe RSV disease by about 80%, according to the CDC. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2024

This is a monoclonal antibody treatment that works by depleting the blood’s B cells. —Markham Heid, TIME, 27 Dec. 2023

If clinical trials confirm the ability of 40-Hz stimuli to clear plaques, maintain brain structure, and slow down dementia, the therapy could emerge as an affordable and user-friendly approach to managing Alzheimer’s—especially when compared to the alternative, monoclonal antibody treatments. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2024

There are also new vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to protect against RSV recommended for certain populations, which include older adults, pregnant people, and young children. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024

Lastly, for babies under 8 months old, there are two monoclonal antibody shots available. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

monoclonal antibody

noun

: an antibody that is derived from the clone of a single B cell and that is produced in large quantities of identical cells possessing affinity for the same epitope on a specific antigen (as a cancer cell)

Note: Monoclonal antibodies are typically used in immunotherapy (such as in the treatment of autoimmune or inflammatory disorders and cancer), diagnostic testing, and cell identification and tracing. Hybridoma cell lines are typically employed to produce an unlimited supply of monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies have largely been applied clinically to the diagnosis and therapy of cancer and the modulation of the immune response to produce immunosuppression for treatment of autoimmune and graft versus host diseases (GVHD) and for prevention of allograft rejection.

—Thomas A. Walmann, Science

Monoclonal antibodies can distinguish and single out a specific protein from the other molecules around it. Monoclonal antibodies are versatile and can assist in the identification, tracking, and alteration of specific proteins.

—Maryann Bozzette, Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing

—abbreviation MAb, mAb, MAB, mab