Cancer research
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We have studied the potential use of immunotoxins (ITs) for therapeutic treatment of human tumors in an experimental model of human neoplasia. We tested intact ricin IT for its antitumor activity against established tumors. CEM, a human T-cell leukemia line expressing an Mr 67,000 cell surface antigen, and Daudi, a human B-cell lymphoma line which does not express the antigen, were found to be consistently tumorigenic in nude mice. ⋯ In contrast, in vitro experiments demonstrated that T101-A chain IT plus activating agents had potent and selective cytotoxic effect against CEM cells. We conclude that ITs are specifically toxic to established tumors. Although selectivity is not absolute, ITs exhibit potential as a new class of antitumor reagents.