Monoclonal antibodies to carcinoembryonic antigen produced by somatic cell fusion.

Hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were generated by fusing mouse immune lymphocytes with the mouse myeloma variant cell line, NS-1. Antibody secreted by one cloned hybrid cell line could bind only a select portion of the CEA bound by the commercially available goat anti-CEA antiserum used in clinical assays. Radiolabeled CEA could be purified on a monoclonal antibody affinity column. Incorporation of this purified radiolabeled CEA in a double-antibody solid-phase assay with goat anti-CEA antiserum led to an approximately 2.5-fold increase in sensitivity of the assay. Genetically stable hybrid clones may be sources of virtually unlimited quantities of such antibodies which may have potential utility in improving the cancer specificity of clinical assays.