The history of the antibody as a tool

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The history of the antibody as a tool Via histochem Acta Histochem. 2021 Mar 12;123(4):151710. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151710. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Antibodies are essential tools in modern science and medicine, however the history leading to the use of antibodies as tools has not been well-described. The objective of this paper is to analyze the history of immunology from smallpox inoculation to the production of monoclonal antibodies, and to identify turning points in immunological theory leading to the emergenc e of antibody-tools. In the early 1700's, Western medicine adopted smallpox inoculation from Turkey, along with the idea of acquired immunity. The Germ Theory of disease had to replace spontaneous generation and miasma theory in the 1880's, however, before inoculation could successfully be applied to other diseases. Inquiry into acquired immunity led to the idea of the "antibody" in the 1890's, and the use of antiserum to identify bacteria. Immunostaining was invented in 1942 by repurposing antibody-dye conjugates originally intended as antibiotics. Monoclonal antibody-producing hybridomas were similarly invented in 1975 by repurposing techniques from virology and genetics. PMID:33721607 | DOI:10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151710 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.