Response of huSCID mice reconstituted with lymphocytes from anti-idiotype-treated melanoma patients.

Severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice were reconstituted with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal and melanoma patients. The melanoma patients were part of a clinical trial of active immunotherapy with the murine monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody, IMelpgl. IMelpgl represents an idiotypic mimic of the high-molecular-weight melanoma-associated antigen, HMW-MAA. All of the huSCID mice reconstituted fully as evidenced by their production of human immunoglobulins. Furthermore, approximately half of the huSCID mice reconstituted with PBMC from either normal or melanoma patients were able to mount a secondary response to tetanus toxoid. While all of the huSCID mice reconstituted with PBMC from patients undergoing immunotherapy produced strong HAMA responses, only one huSCID mouse responded idiotypically to IMelpgl immunization. These results demonstrate tht the huSCID mouse can be used as an experimental model to monitor and study the response of human B cells derived from patients undergoing active immunotherapy.