Two New Environmental Health Sciences Centers Funded

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES promise to revolutionize our ability to define and analyse the molecular components of tumour cell surfaces. To date these antibodies have been of mouse or rat origin. Here we report the production of human monoclonal antibodies by the fusion of intratumoral lymphocytes from a patient with a malignant glioma and a mouse myeloma line. Four such antibodies were found to bind to determinants present on the patient's own glioma cell membranes and not to normal brain tissue. Although the molecular nature of these determinants remain unclear, they may well be tumourrelated neoantigens appearing on glioma cells. A 35-year-old woman presenting with grand mal fits was found to have a poorly differentiated oligodendroglioma in the right frontal region. The bulk ofthe tumour was removed at craniotomy and a course of post-operative radiotherapy given. She was well for 2 years, but then developed a local recurrence of tumour. Repeat excision was performed and followed by chemotherapy with CCNU. She died 6 months after the second excision, with persistent disease. Two grams of fresh tumour tissue from the second operation was cut with fine scissors and teased apart in tissue-culture medium (Dulbecco's modification of Eagle's medium, 20% foetal calf serum, penicillin 100 i.u./ml and streptomycin 100-200 mg/ml). The resulting cell suspenAccepted 6 October 1980