Methods of inhibiting the growth of cells bearing lewisy antigens using b1, b3, or b5 targeted immunoconjugates

Abstract

The invention provides methods for inhibiting the growth of a cell bearing a Lewis,antigen. The methods involve contacting the cell with a composition comprising an Fv region of a light chain of a monoclonal antibody selected from B1, B3, and B5, and the Fv region of a humanized heavy chain of a monoclonal antibody independently selected from B1, B3, and B5, provided that if the heavy and the light chains are from the same antibody, the residue at position 95 of the heavy chain is a serine, and, if the antibody chain is from B3, the residue at position 4 of the light chain can be a leucine and the residue at position 82,of the heavy chain can be an arginine. The Fv regions are joined to an effector molecule selected from a chemotherapeutic agent, a toxin, a radioisotope, and a liposome loaded with a chemotherapeutic agent. In preferred embodiments, the heavy chain and the light chain are recombinantly fused, and the Fv regions are recombinantly fused to a toxin.