Redirecting the cellular immune response.

A technology is described which combines the power of T lymphocytes in eliminating unwanted cells and causing beneficial inflammatory reactions with the great advantages of monoclonal antibodies. We show that heteroconjugate antibodies and hybrid antibodies, in which one of the component binding sites is anti-T-cell receptor and the other component binding is directed against any chosen target antigen, can focus T cells to act at the targeted site. We present experimental evidence for the in vitro efficacy of this system in viral infections and in the elimination of tumor cells. In an in vivo tumor model pilot experiments have been undertaken that resulted in a significant higher rate of survival of animals treated with hybrid antibodies compared to untreated animals.