The use of hybridoma cells as a murine model to study tumor immunity

The secretion of antibody by hybridoma cells allows the growth of individual cells to be measured by a hemolytic plaque assay. Similarly, plaque reduction assays were sensitive indicators of tumor immunity. A series of strains of hybridoma have been isolated from an original isolate which is sensitive to cytotoxic T cells and NK cells. In the derivation of a spleen-seeking variant, the cells appear to have lost immunogenic but not antigenic characteristics. This model lends itself to the quantitative study of immune constraints on tumor growth in vivo. Combined with the selection of tumor variants, the model is of wide application to many fields of tumor biology, particularly where sensitive measurement of tumor cell number and viability is crucial.