What process is utilized for the production of monoclonal antibodies?

The production of monoclonal antibodies relies on hybridoma technology, which involves a specific process to create identical (monoclonal) cells that produce a single type of antibody. This technique was developed by Georges Köhler and César Milstein in the 1970s and has since become a cornerstone in immunology and biotechnology.

In hybridoma technology, B lymphocytes (the immune cells responsible for producing antibodies) are fused with myeloma cells (cancerous cells that can divide indefinitely). This fusion results in hybrid cells, or hybridomas, which have the ability to produce antibodies while also being capable of unlimited growth in culture. The hybridomas are then screened to identify those that produce the desired antibody. Once selected, these cells are cloned, allowing for the mass production of the specific monoclonal antibody.

Other processes mentioned in the options, such as fermentation, gene splicing, or cell differentiation, do not directly pertain to the specific production of monoclonal antibodies. Fermentation generally relates to the cultivation of microorganisms for the production of various substances, gene splicing involves manipulating genetic material, and cell differentiation deals with the process by which a cell becomes specialized to perform a specific function. These processes do not provide the targeted and efficient