Abstract
I reflect on my experience working with David Y. Mason in the Leukaemia Research Laboratories in the Nuffield Department of Pathology at the University of Oxford in the early 1980s. This was soon after the first monoclonal antibodies had been produced, which led to an exciting and productive time in biological discovery and pathology diagnostics. A specific focus in the laboratory was the development of immunoenzymatic staining methods that would enable monoclonal antibodies to be applied in diagnostic practice. This paper describes the work that led to the performance of immuno-alkaline phosphatase staining on blood and bone marrow smears, the success of which changed leukaemia diagnosis.
Highlights
The key to the effective management of haematological malignancies is accurate diagnosis and classification
Commencing with well-characterized polyclonal antisera, to T cells, B cells, heavy and light chains of immunoglobulin, the common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl antigen (TdT), these methods could establish that a leukaemia was of T- or B-cell origin, or to be a non-T or non-B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia [3,4]
David Mason was interested in developing techniques that would allow cell phenotyping to be performed on cell smears, the routine “tool” in diagnostic haematology
Summary
The key to the effective management of haematological malignancies is accurate diagnosis and classification. Commencing with well-characterized polyclonal antisera, to T cells, B cells, heavy and light chains of immunoglobulin, the common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl antigen (TdT), these methods could establish that a leukaemia was of T- or B-cell origin, or to be a non-T or non-B (common) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia [3,4] This was primarily performed in research settings since immunofluorescence was not in the routine repertoire of diagnostic haematology laboratories. By the early 1980s, monoclonal antibodies were being used for leukaemia phenotyping by immunofluorescent microscopy and continued primarily to be undertaken in research laboratories [6,7] Alternate techniques were required if immunological techniques took advantage of monoclonal antibody technology, which were to be used routinely in diagnostic laboratories
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
