A monoclonal antibody with binding and inhibiting activity towards human pancreatic carcinoma cells. I. Immunohistological and immunochemical characterization of a murine monoclonal antibody selecting for well differentiated adenocarcinomas of the pancreas.

The murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) BW 494 was characterized in relation to its tissue specificity, the epitope recognized, in vitro and in vivo radiolocalization and its potential to mediate antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement mediated cytolysis (CMC). The MAb defined carbohydrate epitope located on a greater than 200 k daltons glycoprotein was mainly expressed on the majority of well differentiated adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. Furthermore, the epitope is accessible to MAb BW 494 in vivo, allowing an enrichment of radioactive antibody at the tumor site in nude mice. Additionally, MAb BW 494 is able to use human peripheral blood lymphocytes as effector cells for ADCC reactions against appropriate tumor target cells in vitro. In contrast, the antibody does not mediate human or rabbit CMC.