ABSTRACT

The malignant cells should also be highly radiosensitive. B-Lymphocyte malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemias, seemed to satisfy these criteria. Lym-1 is an IgG2a immunoglobulin originally induced in mice by immunization with cells that originated from a patient with African Burkitt's lymphoma. This antibody reacts with malignant tissues from almost all patients with B-lymphocyte non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and with slightly less than half of malignant tissues from patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Radioiodination of Lym-1 was accomplished using chloramine T and high specific radioactivity sodium-iodide I. Cu-2IT-BAT was prepared using iminothiolane to conjugate TETA, a macrocycle, to Lym-1 to provide Cu-2IT-BAT-Lym-1. Using 67Cu-2IT-BAT-Lym-1, imaging studies in patients were superb because the photons of 67Cu are similar to those of 99mTc. Blood clearance of 67Cu-2IT-BAT-Lym-1 was similar to that of mI-Lym-1. There are opportunities for improving upon these promising results.