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New approach?Ìý The process by which lymphocytes attack and destroy "alien" protein may lead to new approaches in the fight against cancer.Alec H. Sehon, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, are working on an indirect technique to destroy cancer cells by creating a state of delayed hypersensitivity in the host.So far, they have tried out the technique in a system involving a tumor-bearing mouse, a rabbit immunized to the tumor, and another mouse of the same strain that is preimmunized to rabbit immunoglobulins.The first step was to immunize the rabbits to a transplantable murine polyoma. The antiserum, which was absorbed with normal mouse tissues, was then used to coat the polyoma cells.Next, the investigators injected suspensions of the antibody-coated polyoma cells into both normal and preimmunized mice. Result: tumor initiation was inhibited in the normal mice, but actually enhanced in the preimmunized animals