Selective culture of epithelioid cells from a human squamous carcinoma using a monoclonal antibody to kill fibroblasts.

Monoclonal antibody LICR LON/FIB86 is cytotoxic for human fibroblasts from at least some sources, with rabbit complement. Explants of human squamous carcinomas of the head and neck were put into culture and fibroblasts and epithelioid cells began to grow out. The cultures were treated regularly with antibody plus complement: the fibroblasts were killed consistently, as they emerged, leaving sheets of epithelioid cells. We conclude that this is a practical method for controlling human fibroblast growth in culture.