A new human pancreatic carcinoma cell line developed for adoptive immunotherapy studies with lymphokine-activated killer cells in nude mice.

A human tumor cell line designated SU.86 has been established from a moderate-to-poorly differentiated pancreatic carcinoma of ductal origin specifically for adoptive immunotherapy studies. This line was characterized as to its ability to be lysed in vitro by autologous and allogeneic lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) and natural killer cells and to grow in nude mice. SU.86 has been growing continuously in cell culture for more than 100 passages since 22 September 1986. Transplantation orthotopically and heterotopically into athymic Swiss nude mice showed that tumor take was 100% in the orthotopic position when young (4 to 6 wk old) mice were used and 0% when adult (8 wk old) mice were used (P = 0.004). In the heterotopic position (subcutaneous), tumor take was 100% in neonate (2 to 3 wk old) and young mice and 50% in adults. The rate of tumor growth was inversely correlated with age (P less than 0.001). The histologic pattern is similar to that observed in most human pancreatic carcinomas with pseudoglandular structures and frequent mitotic figures. SU.86 has a doubling time of 77 h in vitro and produces carcinoembryonic antigen, 594 ng/10(6) cells in 3 d. Chromosomal analysis shows heterogeneity with two notable cell subpopulations. The cell line is moderately sensitive to lysis by LAK cells in a standard, 4-h chromium-51 release assay (35.4 +/- 4.0%). When grown together with LAK cells in vitro, it is lysed completely in culture in 8 to 15 d, depending on the serum concentration.