Immunoscintigraphy of experimental transplantable tumours using monoclonal antibody against myelin basic protein.

Monoclonal antibody was prepared against myelin basic protein a so-called pancarcinoma antigen. After labelling with 131I the monoclonal antibody was injected into Lewis-lung cancer mice and rats with Walker breast cancer. Two, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the labelled monoclonal antibody injection, radioimmunoimaging studies were carried out. After each gamma-camera study, organ distribution of the labelled monoclonal antibody was determined with radiobioassay technique which showed significantly higher activity in the tumour tissue than in healthy ones. Significant sample radioactivity could be recovered in the tumour masses 48 hours after injection, which persisted even after 96 hours. The later finding might enable diagnosing types of malignancy with isotope-labelled monoclonal antibody against myelin basic protein.