This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Toplin, I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Toplin, I.

Experiences with the Tissue Culture System in Large-Scale Cancer Chemotherapy Screening^*

( John L. Smith Memorial for Cancer Research, Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., Maywood, N.J.)

Over 17,000 fermentation broth filtrates have been screened against three tumors in mice—Sarcoma 180, Carcinoma 755, and Leukemia L1210—and against human malignant cell cultures in vitro (HeLa or H.Ep. #2). Of the Ca-755 and L1210 active filtrates, 64 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively, were active against cell cultures at 1:32 dilution or greater. The proportion of S-180 active filtrates detected was lower; only 49 per cent of S-180 active filtrates were active in vitro at 1:32. The proportion of "false positives," or percentage of tumor-negative filtrates active in vitro at 1:32, was 22 per cent. The results for 4300 filtrates screened against the human tumor H.S. #1 in the conditioned rat showed 65 per cent of the tumor-active filtrates to have tissue culture activity at 1:32 dilution or greater.

The significance of these results in relation to the potential of cell cultures as a primary screen for the detection of antitumor agents, as well as the usefulness of tissue culture as a bioassay method for the purification of antitumor compounds from cytotoxic filtrates, is discussed.

^* These studies were supported by Contract No. SA-43-ph-1926, Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Received 4/ 5/61.