Amelanotic melanoma cells, RPMI-1846, were disrupted by sonic energy which caused cell membrane disruption, thereby allowing liberation of viable cellular organelles. These subcellular particles were injected into syngeneic Syrian and nonsyngeneic hamsters in six separate experiments to determine their possible growth potential. A sizable number of the injected hamsters subsequently died as a result of melanoma. In an attempt to be as certain as possible that no whole melanoma cells were injected with sonicated melanoma material, various techniques were used including collodian sections for debris analysis, phase microscopy and electron microscopy. Results of this study suggested that melanoma can be induced from particles within the melanoma cell which are liberated following cell membrane disruption. It appears that a mechanism exists for the transfer of oncogenic information that may not be dependent upon the presence of intact cells or require the participation of a viral agent.