Growth capacity of hybridoma clones producing monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 in low-serum media

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are biorecognition molecules in the COVID-19 detection. Previously, we used the hybridoma technique to generate anti-Spike SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies. The resulting mAbs captured the commercial Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 on an indirect ELISA platform, and afterward, the hybridomas were adapted to live in low-serum media. However, a validated hybridoma cell and a specific mAb should be established due to its critical role in large-scale production. Hence, this study aimed to observe the hybridoma cell’s growth capacity and its mAbs production in low-serum media. Two hybridoma clones, SF2 and RF10, were grown in RPMI media supplemented with 3% FBS for 11 days. Their viable cell density, growth rate, and doubling time were measured and calculated. According to the data, the SF2 clone grew slower than the RF10 clone. However, SF2 had shown greater cell density on the logarithmic phase. This finding is linear to the ELISA result, showing that SF2 produces higher absorbance levels. These findings demonstrated that the SF2 clone had the potential to survive under low-serum circumstances and still produce mAbs. This clone might be used to produce mAbs against Spike protein SARS-CoV-2 at a low cost.