Pyran copolymer (NSC 46015) was found to potentiate strongly the immune response of C57BL/6J X DBA/2 F1 mice to 10(4) live L1210 tumor cells following suboptimal vaccination with 10(7) radiation-inactivated L1210 cells. Optimal immunity to challenge was produced by concomitant i.p administration of pyran and L1210 vaccine, and activity was dependent upon both pyran and vaccine dosages. In addition, this immunopotentiation seemed to be related to the intrinsic viscosity of different pyran preparations tested, although all the pyran compounds had significant activity. Furthermore, the increased immunity of subsequent live tumor challenge appeared to be specific for the vaccinating cell type.