Induction of specific immunity to human colon carcinoma by anti-idiotypic antibodies to monoclonal antibody CO17-1A.

Anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2) to murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) CO17-1A (Ab1), which defines an antigen associated with human colon carcinoma, were produced in goats. The Ab2 inhibited binding of Ab1 to colon carcinoma cells, and purified tumor antigen inhibited binding of Ab1 to Ab2. The Ab2 elicited in rabbits anti-anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab3) that bound to cultured human cells of various tissue origins with a binding pattern identical to that of Ab1. Moreover, both Ab1 and Ab3 bound to the isolated tumor antigen, and the Ab3 lysed human colon carcinoma cells in culture in the presence of rabbit complement. Thus, Ab2 raised to mAb CO17-1A are candidates for use in immunotherapy trials in cancer patients.