Antibodies are specific in their binding with antigens.

Developing specific antibodies would be useful in fighting particular diseases, diagnosing infections and identifying molecules with antigenic properties wherever they occur.

The response of the immune system to an infection is polyclonal, producing a whole range of antibodies each time we are infected. If it were possible to isolate single antibody secreting cells it would die within a few generations.

To produce specific antibodies requires a monoclonal system that can keep producing antibody for a long period of time.

• Preparations can be made to identify tissue types (e.g. blood typing for ABO or rhesus antigens) with a high degree of accuracy.
  
• The preparation of pregnancy testing kits using anti HCG antibody linked to a coloured indicator.

• The identification and localisation of molecules in cells or on the surface of cells. The antibodies can be combined with a fluorescent dye so that under UV light they glow. The study of the cytoskeleton has been helped a lot using this.

• The location and destruction of cancerous cells. Herceptin binds to a growth factor receptor on some tumour cells (e.g. breast cancer) blocking their development.

• Omalizumab binds to IgE and helps to control asthma.

• OKT3 binds to the surface of T-cells to prevent rejection in transplant patients.

Sooner or later the mouse immunoglobulins will be identified by the human immune system of the patient and human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) will appear. This reduces their effectiveness and also can cause kidney damage. The solution may be to use transgenic mice that produce human immunoglobulins.