Patent ID: 7119248

Claim:
A method for producing an antibody, or antibody fragment, that binds an epitope of a mouse self-antigen, comprising the steps of: (a) producing a mouse having a genome altered to knock out the expression of at least one epitope of the self-antigen of the mouse, wherein said mouse is homozygous for a mutation in the gene encoding the self-antigen; (b) immunizing said mouse, or progeny thereof, with an antigen to elicit an antibody response to the self-antigen epitope, wherein said antigen is said self-antigen or fragment thereof or human homolog of said self-antigen or a fragment thereof; (c) collecting mouse cells that produce antibodies that bind the self-antigen epitope; and (d) immortalizing an antibody-producing cell from step (c) to produce a hybridoma capable of continuously secreting an antibody that binds the self-antigen epitope.