In vivo administration of lymphocyte-specific monoclonal antibodies in nonhuman primates. Delivery of ribosome-inactivating proteins to spleen and lymph node T cells.

The selective delivery in vivo of a T lymphocyte-specific monoclonal antibody and immunotoxin conjugates to T cells in lymph node and spleen was assessed in rhesus monkeys. A transient coating of all T lymphocytes in the lymph nodes and spleens of healthy rhesus monkeys could be achieved after infusion of unconjugated anti-T11. Because derivatized antibody is cleared more rapidly than unconjugated antibody, it was necessary to infuse a higher dose of immunotoxin than antibody alone to achieve saturation of the lymphocyte binding sites with anti-T11. When sufficient antibody-toxin conjugate was infused, toxin was readily demonstrable on lymph node and spleen T cells by 16 h after infusion. This demonstration that toxins can be successfully delivered with specificity to target T cell populations in the monkey suggests that killing of restricted cell populations in vivo should be feasible.