A nonsurgical technique for blood access in extracorporeal affinity adsorption of antibodies in rats

Monoclonal antibodies for targeting cytotoxic conjugates to tumor cells are currently being evaluated together with extracorporeal affinity adsorption. The aim of the adsorption was to reduce undesired side effects in normal organs and to increase the tumor-to-normal tissue ratios. This technique is also applicable to several other therapeutic areas such as immune-mediated disorders, that is, autoimmunity, allergy, and transplantation rejection. We describe an improved technique for extracorporeal affinity adsorption of radiolabeled biotinylated antibodies in rats. Blood access is established through the tail artery and tail vein, without surgical insertion of permanent catheters. This technique is simple, does not require surgery, and causes only minimal stress to the animals. In addition, experiments can be carried out on several animals simultaneously. This new technique is of considerable benefit for studying extracorporeal affinity adsorption in rats, as experiments can be carried out with negligible anatomical and physiological interventions, compared to previously used techniques.