The Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank

The DSHB banks and distributes hybridomas and the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) they produce at cost (e.g., $25, rather than $250 to $700, per ml of supernatant, and $135 rather than $350 to $450 for hybridoma cell lines). Thecollection is mainly against animal cell targets. Last year we filled approximately 27,000 orders for hybridomas or antibodies worldwide. Recently DSHB was selected to bank and distribute all of the hybridomas that will be produced by the National Cancer Institute Clinical Proteomic Diagnostics Initiative, an estimated 10,000 hybridomas.

he DSHB is still not being utilized by all of the biologists who could benefit from it. This is a concern, especially in this time of decreased funding when every penny counts. If you are not already familiar with the DSHB, check out their website

If you are a virologist or microbiologist, DSHB would like your help in a new venture. The DSHB has now embarked on a new mission, to generate a second bank, the DSHB-Microbe, that will collect, maintain and distribute at cost hybridomas and their mAbs against antigens of viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. It will provide you with relevant hybridomas and mAbs at a fraction of the commercial price and relieve those of you who have made hybridomas from the burden of maintenance and distribution. Most importantly, it will facilitate research on viruses and microbes, as the DSHB has done for animal cell research.

If you have generated any hybridomas against animal cell antigens or against viral, bacterial, fungal or protozoan antigens, bank them with us for distribution. Remember that we will distribute them, but you still own and can commercialize them; customers cannot. Also, if you know of hybridomas that you would like made available at low cost and high quality, let DSHB know their names, their target molecules, and the scientists who generated them. DSHB will contact the scientists and try to secure the hybridomas for DSHB/DSHB-Microbe distribution. Thanks very much for your help.

Again visit the DSHB website at http://dshb.biology.uiowa.edu/