PHAGE LIBRARIES FOR GENERATION OF CLINICALLY USEFUL ANTIBODIES

Insertion of antibody genes into filamentous bacteriophage makes it po ssible to generate and screen libraries of 10(7) or more antibodies. E ach phage expresses an antibody on its surface and contains the corres ponding antibody gene. Genes that encode antibodies with desired chara cteristics are readily selected and their antibodies expressed as solu ble proteins in Escherichia coli. We used this system to produce an an tibody to carcinoembryonic antigen with higher affinity and better tum our specificity than antibodies currently in use.