In vitro assays for cell-mediated immunity in dogs with radiation-induced osteosarcoma

The Radiobiology Laboratory experimental study on 226Ra toxicity provides a model for the study of immune response in high-risk dogs and dogs with radiation-induced osteosarcoma. Studies were undertaken to measure both general immune response and specific immune response of dogs following amputation of the tumor-bearing limb using autochthonous cultured tumors. The cell-mediated immune competence (CMI) of dogs as measured by degree of stimulation of purified lymphocytes with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) has been determined in five available amputated dogs. The stimulation index was computed as the net ratio of 3H-thymidine incorporation in stimulated vs unstimulated cells