The recombinant DNA technology

Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1
Name of module: Cell culture and antibody
Question: Discuss the rationale behind the use of phage display in antibody generation and
review typical molecular biology strategies utilized in the production of humanized antibodies
and antibody fragments.
Answer:
The rationale behind the use of Phage Display in antibody generation:
Phage display is a technique, in which a gene encoding a protein is inserted within the
phage DNA or more specifically, within the gene encoding the coat protein of the phage, using
the recombinant DNA technology. The purpose of this screening test is to force the phage into
displaying the inserted protein on its surface. With the help of this technique the protein-protein
interaction, protein-DNA interaction can be understood. The application of this method involves
many aspects including the generation of the antibodies1. There are various advantages that can
be portrayed as the rationale for the usage of this technique in the generation of the antibodies.
First of all, this technique takes significantly less time in the production of a huge amount of
antibodies. Since the phage display technique of antibody production only involve the
genetically modified bacteriophage with the target gene infecting the bacteria and produce a
large volume of the target protein without killing the bacteria, it takes very less time than the
other techniques of antibody production including the hybridoma2. The second rationale is that
this technique does not require an additional humanisation of the produced antibodies, since the
antibody production technique uses the human genome to produce the necessary antibody. As for
the third reason, the technique does not involve any live animal, reducing the complication in
1 Hammers CM, Stanley JR. Antibody phage display: technique and applications. The Journal of investigative
dermatology. 2014 Feb;134(2):e17.
2 Shukra AM, Sridevi NV, Chandran D, Maithal K. Production of recombinant antibodies using bacteriophages.