Combination vascular targeted and tumor targeted radioimmunotherapy.

Rat MAb 201B, which binds to murine thrombomodulin, can deliver up to 50% of the injected dose of attached radioisotopes to the lung vascular endothelium. We have shown previously that intravenous injection of about 30 microCi of 213Bi-MAb 201B, which delivers about 15 Gy of alpha irradiation to the lung, is capable of eradicating small lung colonies (500-1000 cells) of the mammary tumor line, EMT-6. Larger tumors (> 5000 cells) were not completely cured by this vascular targeted radioimmunotherapy (VT-RAIT) approach. We reasoned that VT-RAIT might make the lung vessels serving the tumor cells more permeable, allowing MAb targeted to the tumor cells to extravasate more readily and mediate more efficient standard radioimmunotherapy (RAIT). Distribution experiments with the tumor targeted MAb 13A (RAIT MAb), following VT-RAIT, did not demonstrate a large increase in tumor uptake; however, microautoradiography did indicate that MAb 13A was distributed more evenly throughout the tumor when administered after VT-RAIT. Therapy experiments on lung tumors of approximately 5000 cells each, combining 213Bi-MAb 201B (VT-RAIT) with 213Bi-MAb 13A (RAIT) 24 hours later, resulted in a better outcome (3 cured/10 at risk) than for control groups: RAIT only (0/10), VT-RAIT only (1/10), or no therapy (0/10). RAIT therapy delivered 48 hours after VT-RAIT had no apparent benefit. 213Bi-MAb 201B VT-RAIT followed by 90Y-MAb 13A Fab' RAIT showed only a slight improvement in tumor cures (2/10) over that in control groups: (0/9), (0/10), (0/10), respectively. These results suggest that optimal timing, dosage, and choice of MAb for RAIT should enhance the double MAb therapy approach significantly.