RAPID IMMUNODIAGNOSIS OF CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA USING MICROWAVE-STIMULATED APAAP-COMPLEX SYSTEM

Important insights into leukocyte differentiation and the cellular ori gin of leukemias have been achieved by the use of monoclonal antibodie s for the detection of cellular antigens with impact on the diagnosis and classification of hematological malignancies. A successful rapid i mmunoenzymatic technique using application of microwave irradiation (M IWI) on bone marrow cells of various children with ALL is described. T he MIWI-stimulated immunotyping of acute leukemia cells with a panel o f monoclonal antibodies against differentiation antigens (i.e. CD2 CD7 , CD10, CD19, CD20, CD24, HLA-DR and TdT) has been compared with the c onventional APAAP procedure developed by Mason et al 1983. The commerc ial microwave oven we used operates at 2,45 GHz. Fifteen sec irradiati on at 350 W during all incubation steps produced excellent color react ions with Fast Red TR and Fast Blue BE similar to the conventional imm unoenzymatic method. The results so far have demonstrated that the app lication of the MIWI-technique eliminates the need for long incubation periods without loss of sensitivity. With this technique an immunolog ical diagnosis of childhood leukemia cells is possible using air dried smears in an microwave oven within 30 minutes.