Final answer:
Hybridomas are produced by fusing myeloma cells with B-lymphocytes, creating hybrid cells capable of proliferating indefinitely and producing monoclonal antibodies against specific antigens.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hybridomas are the useful result of a fusion between myeloma cells and B-lymphocytes to obtain hybrid cells that can proliferate and produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against specific antigens. This fusion creates an immortal cell line that combines the myeloma cell's ability to grow indefinitely in culture with the B-lymphocyte's ability to produce a specific antibody.
These hybridoma cells are initially produced by injecting an antigen into a mouse to induce an immune response and subsequently fusing the immunized spleen B-lymphocytes with myeloma tumor cells. Following fusion, the resultant hybridoma cells are capable of continuous proliferation in cell culture, secreting high specificity monoclonal antibodies which can be used for various biomedical applications.
The process involves selecting and culturing only the hybridoma cells that produce the desired antibodies using techniques like Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and screening for successful hybridomas via selective HAT medium, where only hybridoma cells survive. Once identified, the selected hybridoma cells can be cloned and expanded to produce large quantities of monoclonal antibodies for use in research, diagnosis, and therapy.