Greetings from the Analytical Chemistry forum!

I need a little (OK, maybe a lot) general information on monoclonal antibodies. Being a chemist with only some biochemistry in my background, I have been asked to assist with an analysis of a monoclonal antibody product. I believe one of the questions relates to aggregation, and the lab will be using a chromatographic technique to assess this (that's where I come in). At this time I do not have any specifics on the material; that will come later.

What I need now is a little help getting started. Is there a primer or general introduction to this field that I can get somewhere? I would like information on how these things are made, their structure, and behavior in solution. I realize there are thousands (millions?) of possible materials, so at this point I would like to get a sense on what the field is about in its most general terms, and get an idea on the range of antibodies that are out there. From there, I will be able to see where this particular one fits into the grander scheme.

Thanks in advance!

I hate to suggest it on a scientific forum, but the wikipedia entry on 'Antibody' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody)actually is a nice primer. Lots of links to references and external sites as well. Also check out the wiki entries on 'Monoclonal Antibody' and 'Hybridoma.'

Feel free to PM or email me with any specific questions and I'll try my best to help you out.

Good luck!