Hybridoma

A cell hybrid resulting from the fusion of a cancer cell and a normal lymphocyte (a type of white blood cell). The hybridoma is immortal in the laboratory and makes the same products as its parent cells forever.

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A tumor of hybrid cells used in the in vitro production of specific monoclonal antibodies; produced by fusion of an established tissue culture line of lymphocyte tumor cells ( e.g., mouse plasmacytoma cells) and specific antibody-producing cells ( e.g., splenocytes from specifically immunized mice); fusions are accomplished by use of polyethylene glycol or other methods. [G. hybris, violation, wantonness, + -oma, tumor]

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hy·brid·oma .hī-brə-'dō-mə n a hybrid cell produced by the fusion of an antibody-producing lymphocyte with a tumor cell and used to culture continuously a specific monoclonal antibody

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hy·brid·o·ma (hi″brid-oґmə) [hybrid + -oma] a somatic cell hybrid formed by fusion of normal lymphocytes and tumor cells; the resulting hybridoma cells will produce the same secretion as the normal parent cells and proliferate indefinitely in culture like the parent tumor cells.