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. 1983 Jan;105(1):83–93. doi: 10.1007/BF00391837

Immunotherapy of human leukemia with antibody to pluripotential K-562 stem cells

J Izquierdo 1, E R Robbio 1, B B Lozzio 2,✉, W Hanna 3,4
PMCID: PMC12253258  PMID: 6403549

Abstract

Gamma (γ) globulin was fractionated from the serum of a goat immunized with the pluripotential leukemia cell line K-562. The lyophilized γ-globulin preparation, termed leukoglobulin, contained about 50% immune IgG and suppressed the proliferation of heterotransplanted leukemia and lymphoma cells of human origin. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the potential therapeutic value of leukoglobulin and to determine its toxicity in humans with terminal leukemia and patients whose disease was unresponsive to current therapy. Two patients with CML, one with AMML, four with All, and one with AML were treated once a week for up to 5 weeks with leukoglobulin intravenously at doses ranging from 2 to 29 mg/kg. Leukoglobulin was well tolerated with minimal adverse effects and produced an initial mobilization of blasts from the bone marrow, spleen, and other organs with a parallel increase in the number of blasts in the systemic circulation. Subsequent injections of leukoglobulin led to a sharp decrease and the eventual eradication of blasts from the peripheral blood and bone marrow. Except in patients with CML, immature cells other than blasts also markedly diminished. The results of the clinical trials indicated a synergism with or potentiation of most chemotherapeutic agents used. Two possible uses for a combination of leukoglobulin and antileukemic drugs are indicated by the results were report here; drug-antibody synergism for cases showing no response to chemotherapy alone or leukoglobulin given immediately after chemotherapy is administered to eliminate residual leukemia cells. Alternatively, leukoglobulin can be given as a single therapeutic agent during the induction or maintenance phases of treatment to patients with leukemia resistant to other therapeutic combinations.

Key words: Human leukemia, Pluripotent K-562 cells, Antibody, Immunotherapy

Abbreviations

CML

chronic myelogenous leukemia

AMML

acute myelomonocytic leukemia

ALL

acute lymphoblastic leukemia

AML

acute myclogenous leukemia

LAA

leukemia-associated antigens

IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD

immunoglobulins G, A, M, and D

i.v.

intravenous

BUN

blood urea nitrogen

BUS

busulfan

6-MP

6-mercaptopurine

VCR

vincristine

DNM

daunomycin

PRED

prednisone

MTX

methotrexate (amethopterin)

CPM

cyclophosphamide

CIC

cerebral intermittent claudication

PBS

phosphate-buffered saline

Footnotes

These clinical trials were supported in part by the Fundación Roux-Ocefa, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The basic research was supported by Grants 18185 and 17533 awarded by the National Cancer Institute, DHHS, USA. The clinical trials have been approved by the Argentina Public Health Service (No. 22020000052098778/3) and by the University of Tennessee (CRP No. 878 and IRB No. 1445) National Cancer Institute Number 678, DHHS, USA Comp. of Tumor Immunotherapy Protocols 7:77, 1979

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