Microtechnique for quantitative evaluation of in vitro lymphocyte transformation

A microtechnique is described to quantitate in vitro transformation of lymphocytes from man and marmosets following stimulation by PHA and different antigens. The ¹⁴C-thymidine uptake of lymphocytes grown in cultures of 0·06–0·2 ml of whole blood was measured by liquid scintillation. The magnitude, consistency and reproducibility of the results were similar to those achieved using cultures of purified lymphocytes or cell-rich plasma but fewer technical procedures were required.