Methods of Immunization to Enhance the Immune Response to Specific Antigens In Vivo in Preparation for Fusions Yielding Monoclonal Antibodies

The first step in preparing useful monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) is to immunize an animal with an appropriate “vaccine .” Animal and vaccine are both emphasized in the preceding sentence because this chapter describes how to generate satisfactory MAbs by maximizing interactions between the two. The term vaccine was used purposefully to connote that not only antigens of interest may be contained in the immunizing product, but carriers and adjuvants may also be included. These latter components can influence greatly the success of obtaining useful hybridomas, which produce antibodies of the desired specificity and quality.