Treatment and diagnosis of cancer

Abstract

Use of antibodies or binding portions thereof, probes, ligands, or other biological agents which either recognize an extracellular domain of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) or bind to and are internalized with PSMA. These biological agents can be labeled and used for detection of cancerous tissues, particularly cancerous tissues proximate to or containing vascular endothelial cells, which express an extracellular domain of PSMA. The labeled biological agents can also be used to detect normal, benign hyperplastic, and cancerous prostate epithelial cells or portions thereof. They also can be used alone or bound to a substance effective to ablate or kill such cells as a therapy for prostate or other cancers. Also disclosed are four hybridoma cells lines, each of which produces a monoclonal antibody recognizing extracellular domains of PSMA of normal, benign hyperplastic, and cancerous prostate epithelial cells or portions thereof.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method of detecting normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells in a biological sample, comprising:
 a. providing an antibody or antigen binding portion thereof which competes for binding to prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) with a monoclonal antibody selected from the group consisting of an E99, a J415, a J533, and a J591 monoclonal antibody, wherein the antibody or antigen binding portion thereof is bound to a label effective to permit detection of normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells;   b. contacting the biological sample with the antibody or antigen binding portion thereof under conditions effective to permit binding of the antibody or antigen binding portion thereof to the normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells; and   c. detecting the presence of the normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells by detecting the label.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the antibody is a monoclonal antibody produced by a hybridoma having an ATCC Accession Number selected from the group consisting of HB-12101, HB-12109, HB-12127, and HB-12126. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the antigen binding portion is selected from the group consisting of a Fab fragment, a F(ab′) 2  fragment, and a Fc fragment. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the label is selected from the group consisting of a fluorescent label, a biologically-active enzyme label, a radiolabel, a nuclear magnetic resonance active label, a luminescent label, and a chromophore label. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the antibody or antigen binds to an extracellular domain of PSMA on the normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the normal, benign hyperplastic, or cancerous prostate cells are live cells in the biological sample. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the biological sample is a bodily fluid sample. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the bodily fluid sample is selected from the group consisting of a urine sample and a serum sample.