Final answer:
Monoclonal antibodies are tailored to be highly specific and bind only to a single antigenic determinant or epitope. They offer high specificity useful in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, particularly in targeted cancer therapy. Unlike polyclonal antibodies, they do not bind multiple epitopes, which limits their use in some assays but increases their precision.
Step-by-step explanation:
Can monoclonal antibodies be specific for several antigenic determinants? No, monoclonal antibodies are designed to be highly specific and bind to a single antigenic determinant or epitope with high affinity. This contrasts with polyclonal antibodies, which are a collection of antibodies that bind to different epitopes on an antigen. A typical protein antigen has multiple antigenic determinants, which can stimulate the production of polyclonal antibodies that bind to various epitopes on the antigen. However, monoclonal antibodies produced by culturing antibody-secreting hybridoma cells are specific to a single epitope, allowing for high specificity in both diagnostic tests and therapeutic applications.
While monoclonal antibodies provide higher specificity, they do have limitations. For instance, they are typically more expensive to produce compared to polyclonal antibodies and may not form lattices as easily due to their specificity for a single epitope. Despite this, their high specificity and affinity make them invaluable, particularly in areas where accuracy is critical, such as in targeted cancer therapy where they are extensively used and investigated.