Monoclonal

Monoclonal cells are a group of cells produced from a single ancestral cell by repeated cellular replication. Thus they can be said to form a single clone. The term monoclonal comes from the Ancient Greek monos, meaning 'alone' or 'single', and klon, meaning 'twig'. Monoclonal cells are a group of cells produced from a single ancestral cell by repeated cellular replication. Thus they can be said to form a single clone. The term monoclonal comes from the Ancient Greek monos, meaning 'alone' or 'single', and klon, meaning 'twig'. The process of replication can occur in vivo, or may be stimulated in vitro for laboratory manipulations. The use of the term typically implies that there is some method to distinguish between the cells of the original population from which the single ancestral cell is derived, such as a random genetic alteration, which is inherited by the progeny.