A monoclonal antibody to human acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen.

Previous studies by Greaves and others have demonstrated the existence of an antigen associated with cells from many patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and some patients with chronic myelocytic leukamemia (CML) in blast crisis. Antisera to this common ALL antigen (CALLA) have been produced in rabbits and require extensive absorption which limits both the titre and quantity of antisera that can be generated and may result in variable specificity in different laboratories. The method for generation of specific antibody by somatic cell hybridisation introduced by kohler and Milstein has been successfully used to produce monoclonal antibodies against various normal human cell-surface proteins, including beta 2 microglobulin, histocompatibility antigens, thymocyte and peripheral T-cell antigens and Ia-like antigens. The present report describes the generation and characterisation of a monoclonal antibody specific for a common ALL antigen (CALLA) previously identified by conventional heteroantisera.