Monoclonal antibodies against gastrointestinal tumour-associated antigens isolated as monosialogangliosides.

Monoclonal antibodies were produced after immunization of mice with a colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line or liver metastasis membranes from a patient with colon adenocarcinoma. Many monoclonal antibodies were found to react with colorectal adenocarcinoma cells but not with normal colon mucosa, blood lymphocytes, myeloma cells or lung epithelial carcinoma cells. Three of these 'colorectal tumour-specific' antibodies appear to define different antigens that were found in the complex monosialoganglioside fraction from 60 to 90% of the colorectal and pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumours or metastases examined but essentially lacking in normal colon mucosa and other normal or tumour tissues tested.