In monoclonal antibody production myeloma cells cancer and l

In monoclonal antibody production, myeloma cells (cancer) and lymphocytes (white blood cells) are fused together... why?? (explain clearly)

Solution

The myeloma cells and lymphocytes are fused to produce monoclonal antibodies to fuse both their properties into a new cell. Means, the antibody producing property of monoclonal antibodies and the immortality of myeloma cells are fused into a new cell (which is an immortal antibody).

The myeloma cells and the lymphocytes are fused together by electro-fusion. So that these cells align and fuse. The HGPRT (hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase) gene is removed from the myeloma cells and make them sensitive to the HAT medium (hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine medium). The fused cells are incubated in HAT medium for up to 14 days, so that they cannot synthesize nucleotides as aminopterin blocks the synthesis pathway. Only the fused cells survive and the unfused cells die. The surviving cells produce antibodies that are immortal (monoclonal antibodies).