Alternative Methods to Animal Use for Monoclonal Antibody Generation and Production

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) has broad applicability in research, diagnosis, and treatment. After the introduction of hybridoma technology in 1975, the mAb market has increased dramatically, moving a large industry of more than US$ 140 billions in 2020. In 1954, the concept of the 3R’s was proposed and much changed the animal use scenario, including the recent ban on inducing ascites in mice for the production of mAb. In light of this, the generation and production of antibodies had to be reassessed. In this chapter, we present an overview of the main alternative technologies to the use of animals in the generation and production of mAb. Antibody display libraries and in silico modeling are very promising technologies that may provide mAb genetic constructs that, in the sequence, may be expressed on mammalian, bacterial, yeast or plant systems. Although the total replacement of the use of animals in the entire process is not currently feasible, it is possible to find ways to reduce and refine the use of animals in obtaining and producing mAb.