Title:  Methods for treating a fibrin encapsulated tumor using a fibrin specific monoclonal antibody and compositions used therein

United States Patent:  6,187,593

Assignee:  American Biogenetic Sciences, Inc. (Copiague, NY)

Filed:  December 9, 1998

The subject invention relates a method for the production of monoclonal antibodies. The method utilizes an immunized germfree animal. The invention also provides methods for the use of such monoclonal antibodies, and polyclonal antibodies derived from an immunized germfree animal, for in vitro and in vivo clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. Also, the subject invention provides a fibrin-specific monoclonal antibody.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention provides a method for the production of monoclonal antibodies to an antigen comprising:

(a) immunizing a germfree animal with said antigen to permit antibody-producing cells to produce antibodies to said antigen,

(b) removing at least a portion of said antibody-producing cells from said germfree animal,

(c) forming a hybridoma by fusing one of said antibody-producing cells with an immortalizing cell wherein said hybridoma is capable of producing a monoclonal antibody to said antigen,

(d) propagating said hybridoma, and

(e) harvesting the monoclonal antibodies produced by said hybridoma.

The subject invention also provides methods for utilizing a monoclonal antibody or a polyclonal antibody derived from a germfree animal. The subject invention also provides a fibrin-specific monoclonal antibody and methods for utilizing such a monoclonal antibody.

Claim 1 of 7 Claims

We claim:

1. A method for utilizing a monoclonal antibody in conjugation with a cytotoxic reagent for the treatment of a fibrin encapsulated tumor comprising administering to a human in need of said treatment a monoclonal antibody in conjugation with a cytotoxic reagent, the improvement comprising employing for said monoclonal antibody a fibrin-specific monoclonal antibody that is MH-1 produced by hybridoma ATCC 9739 or an immunoreactive fragment thereof, or an antibody or an immunoreactive fragment thereof that competitively inhibits the immunospecific binding of the MH-1 antibody produced by hybridoma ATCC HB 9739 to MH-1's target antigen.

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