Technical Abstract 
Scientific Abstract 
Abstract: A cell-line was established from the neoplastic cells of a patient 
with malignant melanoma. The cells were obtained during the natural course of 
the patient's treatment. The melanoma cells express defined MHC Class I 
histocompatibility determinants. The gene for human interleukin-2 (IL-2) was 
transduced into the cells with the aid of a replication-defective retrovirus. 
Integration of the gene into genomic DNA and its expression were established. 
The lL-2-secreting cell-line was found to be free of recombinant retro-viruses 
and infectious agents. It will be X-irradiated (5000 rads) and then used to 
immunize twelve informed patients with Stage IV malignant melanoma in a Phase 
I toxicity study. 
Patients will become eligible for inclusion in this study only if they develop 
metastatic melanoma and have failed all standard forms of treatment. The IL- 
2-secreting melanoma cells will be injected into patients who differ in at 
least three of six alleles at the Class I locus. The patient's anti melanoma 
immune response to the injected cells will be determined by both in vivo and 
in vitro parameters. Background studies performed in inbred mice indicate 
that X-irriadated IL-2-secreting cells that express both melanoma-associated 
antigens and allogeneic Class I histocompatability antigens are more antigenic 
in terms of their capacity to induce an anti melanoma response than X- 
irradiated melanoma cells. Of significance for the future potential of this 
form of therapy, the period of survival of mice with established melanoma was 
significantly (P < 0.001) longer than that of untreated animals or animals 
treated with X-irradiated melanoma cells. There was no evidence that 
immunizations with the IL-2-secreting cells were toxic to the tumor-bearing 
recipients . 
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Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 18 
