Immunotherapy of human leukemia with antibody to pluripotential K-562 stem cells.

Gamma (gamma) globulin was fractionated from the serum of a goat immunized with the pluripotential leukemia cell line K-562. The lyophilized gamma-globulin preparation, termed leukoglobulin, contained about 50% immune IgG and suppressed the proliferation of heterotransplanted leukemia and lymphoma cells of human origin. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the potential therapeutic value of leukoglobulin and to determine its toxicity in humans with terminal leukemia and patients whose disease was unresponsive to current therapy.