Trilateral Project 24.1-Biotechnology 165

If Antigen A is very similar to Antigen A', it would be expected to have many of the same epitopes as Antigen A'. As a result, monoclonal antibodies to A might be expected to anticipate monoclonal antibodies to A'. This would be especially true if A' were simply a modified form of A.

Nevertheless, the creation of a monoclonal antibody is a stochastic event arising from a large number of different variables. Consequently, a precise monoclonal antibody is not likely to arise from different hybridomas. Therefore, claim language is quite important. A claim drawn to a specific deposited hybridoma would be expected to be novel.