Hereditary asplenic-athymic mice: transplantation of human myelogenous leukemic cells.

A new animal model characterized by hereditary athymia and asplenia was used as a recipient of chronic myelogenous leukemic (CML) cells with the Philadelphia (Ph1+) chromosome. Transplanted CML cells form solid vascularized tumors containing cells similar to those seen in the patient in a long-term culture. Cells taken from the tumors were nearly triploid, retained all human chromosome markers, and had the same antigenic determinants(s) as cells in culture.