Monoclonal Antibodies

Kohler and Milstein, UK, 1975. The hybridoma technique Britain forgot to patent.

Overview

Cambridge's Kohler and Milstein fused myeloma cells with B-cells, making immortal antibody factories of single specificity. The 1975 Nature paper carried no patent; Britain's MRC declined, believing natural products unprotectable under then-rules. The technique founded the biotech antibody industry now worth hundreds of billions, from Herceptin to COVID therapies. The 1984 Nobel honored the pair. Auditors later called the unpatenting a billion-pound oversight. Every therapeutic antibody clinic rides their open gift.