Some properties of cryopreserved acute leukemia cells

We have described a method of cryopreservation of large quantities of human leukemia cells. After storage for long periods the cells retain specific membrane antigens measured using in vitro lymphocyte cultures, and they also functioned suitably as target cells in an immunological assay system. These findings solve some of the logistic problems involved in conducting a large-scale active immunotherapy program for acute leukemia in man.