An experimental model for selective inhibition of proliferating cells by chemotherapeutic agents

Conditionally transformable cells of primate origin in which 'untransformed' and 'transformed' cells derived from the same source grow in culture, has been used as an experimental system for testing selective inhibition of proliferating cells by chemotherapeutic agents. The cytotoxic agents Adriamycin and Mitomycin C fail to recognise "tumour cells" in a heterogenous population and thus differ from the non-toxic and non-carcinogenic agent L-canavanine.