Monospecific antibodies are
antibodies whose specificity to
antigens is singular (
mono- +
specific) in any of several ways: antibodies that all have affinity for the same
antigen; antibodies that are specific to one antigen or one
epitope; or antibodies specific to one type of
cell or
tissue.
Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific, but monospecific antibodies may also be produced by other means than producing them from a common germ cell. Regarding antibodies,
monospecific and
monovalent overlap in meaning; both can indicate specificity to one antigen, one
epitope, or one cell type (including one
microorganism species). However, antibodies that are monospecific to a certain tissue, or all monospecific to the same tissue because clones, can be polyvalent in their epitope binding.