SPECIAL SECTION: MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

Production of monoclonal antibodies (MABs) by the mouse ascites method has become an important animal welfare issue. In fact, it has been the subject of four major scientific meetings in as many years. MABs are unquestionably an invaluable tool in basic biomedical research, as well as in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. However, the ascites method, which until quite recently was the standard technique worldwide, may cause considerable pain and distress in the animals used to produce the MABs.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. In vitro methods are now available for production of the vast majority of MABs needed. Use of the ascites method has been banned or restricted in much of Europe. In United States the National Institutes of Health recently announced that it expects researchers to use in vitro methods whenever possible--and to offer strong justification if they do plan to use the ascites method.

This Altweb special section on MABs represents an effort to make a variety of resources on this important topic more readily accessible. You can find discussions of the issues relating to MAB production, descriptions of various in vitro alternatives to the ascites methods, listings of facilities that produce MABs, and more.

We will continue to develop and expand this section. If you have any additions or corrections to offer, please e-mail choward@jhshp.edu.

In compiling the resources presented here, we have drawn from a number of sources, most notably the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation (ARDF), the University of California Center for Animal Alternatives (UCCAA), and the Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC), as well as the Fund for Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), Focus on Alternatives (FOA), and many others.