antibody production-ascites vs culture

[tfc2 at Lehigh.EDU]

Hello,

I'm interested in your thoughts and opinions on the pros and cons of using
ascites vs cell culture for antibody production.  We have used hollow fiber AB
production in the past but there is a move in the company toward ascites.  I
am not comfortable with this change and hope to understand the reasons for this
decision a little better, with your help.

Our AB requirements vary for the 15 or so lines from about 10-50 mg/year per AB.

The use of cell culture seems the obvious choice to me but have been told
that it's less expensive to produce ABs using ascites.  Is this strictly true?

Any thoughts or comments are very welcome!

Thanks,
Theresa