# INTERLEUKIN-2-MEDIATED REGRESSION OF BREAST TUMOR

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH · 1987 · $89,322

## Abstract

A comprehensive and systematic study will be undertaken to define the
therapeutic utility of the hormone-like T cell growth-promoting lymphokine
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) for the treatment of cancer using as a tumor model a
unique mouse mammary adenocarcinoma designated as MC1.  When compared to
other mouse tumor models, the MC1 offers a number of advantages for
defining in vivo IL 2-mediated immunomodulation of host-resistance to tumor
progression.  The MC1 tumor is a spontaneously arising neoplasia that is
both immunogenic and immunosensitive, and undergoes complete regression
after progressive growth in about 20 percent of tumor hosts by a primary
lymphocyte-mediated immune rejection reaction.  Moreover, host resistance
of MC1-immunized mice can be adoptively transferred to untreated mice using
washed lymphocytes of the spleen, lymph node or blood.  The ability to
cultivate the MC1 tumor as a single-cell suspension and to propagate IL
2-dependent syngeneic T cells enables further definition in vitro of this
host-versus-tumor model.

This study will define the effect of intratumor administration of IL-2 on
MC1 tumor growth in MC1-immunized and untreated mice, and specifically the
influence of IL-2 on cytolytic activity of T cells present in a large
peri-tumor leukocyte population that accumulates during tumor regression.
The effect of IL-2 will be defined in sequential studies that will include
histopathological and morphometric analyses; phenotypic characterization of
different leukocyte subsets, particularly IL-2 receptor bearing T cells as
defined using [35S]-methionine radiolabelled recombinant IL-2; and
functional analyses of lymphocyte-mediated anti-MC1 cytolytic activity as
defined in vitro using microcytotoxicity tests and in vivo with Winn-type
tumor neutralization assays.  IL-2 evaluated in these studies will be
derived from different sources, including:  (a) human recombinant IL-2 from
E. coli; (b) selected high IL-2-producing monoclones of long-term T cell
lines of mice (EL-4), ape (MLA-144) and human (Jurkat J6.2); and (c)
mitogen-activated normal mouse splenic leukocytes.  IL-2 will be purified
using anti-IL-2 monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography and
reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3177208
- **Project number:** 5R01CA038842-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** F863WQVMZSK7
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN L PAULY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $89,322
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-04-01 → 1989-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3177208

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3177208, INTERLEUKIN-2-MEDIATED REGRESSION OF BREAST TUMOR (5R01CA038842-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3177208. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*
