SUMMARY REPORT ON THE ISOBM TD-6 WORKSHOP - ANALYSIS OF 20 MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES AGAINST SIALYL LEWIS(A) AND RELATED ANTIGENS - MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND, SEPTEMBER 19-24, 1997

The ISOBM TD-6 Workshop is the first international workshop on monoclo nal antibodies against the Sialyl Lewis(a) (SLe(a)) antigen. Eight res earch groups participated in a blind study to characterize the epitope binding, relative affinity and performance in immunoradiometric assay s, of a panel of 20 monoclonal antibodies. The antibodies were tested against a diverse panel of neoglycoconjugates, purified antigens and h uman serum pools from gastrointestinal malignancies. Epitope specifici ties were determined for the majority of antibodies in the panel. Cros s-reactivity with related saccharide structures was noted in several a ntibodies. Overall, the results of the TD-6 Workshop show further deve lopment of SLe(a) immunoassays may yield yet more specific assays for the detection and management of gastrointestinal and other malignancie s.