Which of the following is not a characteristic of monoclonal antibodies?

• A. Monoclonal antibodies are produced by hybridoma clones.
• B. Monoclonal antibodies are natural antibodies created by the immune system to fight disease.
• C. All monoclonal antibodies in a single batch are identical and therefore recognize the same epitope.
• D. Monoclonal antibodies can be used for various diagnostic and treatment therapies for disease.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are. They are antibodies produced by identical immune cells that are clones of a unique parent cell, specifically created using hybridoma technology.
2. Step 2: Recognize that monoclonal antibodies are not naturally occurring antibodies produced directly by the immune system; instead, they are artificially generated in the lab by fusing a specific antibody-producing B cell with a myeloma (cancer) cell to create a hybridoma.
3. Step 3: Note that all monoclonal antibodies in a single batch are identical because they come from the same hybridoma clone, meaning they recognize the same specific epitope on an antigen.
4. Step 4: Understand that monoclonal antibodies have wide applications in diagnostics and treatment, such as targeting specific molecules in diseases like cancer or autoimmune disorders.
5. Step 5: Identify the incorrect statement by comparing each option to the known characteristics of monoclonal antibodies, focusing on the fact that monoclonal antibodies are not natural antibodies but lab-produced.