The synthesis and purification of radiolabelled immunoconjugates, composed of a human IgM monoclonal antibody (IgM 16.88) directed against an intracellular tumour-associated antigen, the drug carrier poly [NS-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-glutamine] (PHEG) and the cytostatic drug adriamycin (ADR) are described. The immunoconjugates were constructed to allow selective release of ADR in the putatively acidic environment of the tumour through a novel acid-labile maleamic acid linker. The conjugate of PHEG and the acid-labile ADR derivative effectively released ADR in cytotoxic amounts at a pH of 6.0 as judged from incubation in buffer and from inhibition of the growth of HT-29 colon tumour cells in vitro. Immunoconjugates were prepared by coupling of PHEG-ADR having a hydrolytically stable amide bond with J3q-labelled antibody through tbioether bond formation involving a single thiol group at the C-terminus of the polymer chain and maleimido groups introduced onto the * Corresponding author. Abbreviations: AcOSu,N-succinimidyl acetate; ADR, adriamycin; AEC, anion-exchange chromatography; ASI, active specific immunotherapy; BOC, tert-butox ycarbonyl ; (BOC) 20, di-tert-butyldicarbonate; BOC-AB, N-tert-butox ycarbonyl-1,4-diaminobutane; BOC-OEA, N-tert-buto xycarbonyl-2,2'-oxybis(ethylamine); CDI, N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole; CHC13, chloroform; CH2CIz, dichloromethane; CTA-I, colon tumourassociated antigen; Cys, cysteine; d. doublet; dd, double doublet; dt, double triplet; DAB, 3,3'-aminobenzidine; DMF. N,N'-dimethylformamide; DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; DPn, number-average degree of polymerization; DPw, weight-average degree of polymerization; DSS, 4,4-dimethyl-4-silapentane sodium sulphonate; DTNB, 5,5'-dithiobis ( 2-nitrobenzoic acid) ; DTP, 4,4'-dithiodipyridine; DTT, dithiothreitol; e, molar absorbance coefficient; EEDQ, N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-l,2-dihydroquinoline; EIA, enzyme-linked immunoassay; Et20, diethyl ether; FABMS, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry; FCS, fetal calf serum; GABA, y-aminobutyric acid; GMB, y-maleimidobutyryl; GMBS, N-(ymaleimidobutyryloxy)succinimide; HOAc, acetic acid; HONSu, N-hydroxysuccinimide; HPMA, N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide; HP-SEC, high-performance size exclusion chromatography; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; LALLS, low-angle laser light scattering; m, multiplet; M,. number-average molecular weight; Mw, weight-average molecular weight; MRW, mean residue weight; MoAb, monoclonal antibody: MSA, methanesulphonic acid; MTT, 3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide; NAN,, sodium azide; NCA, N-carboxyanhydride; PBLG, poly( T-benzyl-L-glutamate); PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PDT, 2-pyridyldithio; PGA, poly Hoes et al. / Journal of Controlled Release 38 (1996) antibody. The immunoreactivity of IgM-PHEG-ADR conjugate was almost fully preserved. Tumour uptake and biodistribution of ~251-1abelled PHEG-ADR and of ~3q-labelled IgM-PHEG-ADR, which was co-administered with ~H-labelled IgM 16.88, in nude mice carrying MRI-W207 human ovarian tumour xenografts were s...