ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the principal purging methodologies using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) either for the elimination of malignant cells or defined normal cell subsets, and discuss clinical applications and outcomes. It focuses on the purging of hematologic malignancies, and discusses important findings associated with the purging of solid tumors. The chapter presents the two main strategies of treatment of the progenitor cell graft: negative selection procedures to eliminate unwanted cells and positive selection procedures to isolate normal progenitor cells. A variety of agents and techniques have been developed to purge selective cell populations, mainly from remission marrow; these include primarily physical, pharmacologic, photodynamic and immunologic methods. Autologous bone marrow transplantation is playing an increasing role in the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia. In acute myelogenous leukemia, selection of the optimal cell marker for purging is particularly difficult for numerous reasons. B-lineage leukemia cells consistently express the same combinations of surface antigens and can be classified according to their maturation stage.
