Backgrounds: Multiple myeloma is a hematological disease caused by clonal proliferation of a malignant plasma cell cloně. Its incidence is 4 in 100 000. Medián survival is 4-5 years. Besides standard therapy including high-dose chemotherapy new approaches such as immunotherapy are taking pláce. Design and subjects: Identification of myeloma-specific T cells from healthy blood donors has been tested in an in vitro study based on T cell activation, separation and expansion. Methods and results: Myeloma cell line ARH 77 has been irradiated and ušed as apoptotic bodies to stimulate allogeneic mononuclear cells from peripheral blood. Activated myeloma-specific T cells produce interferon gamma, can be captured by immunomagnetic beads and further expanded in vitro up to 400x I O6 T cells within 4 weeks. Conclusion: This study demonstrates feasibility of identification and separation of tumor-specific T cells that can be expanded in vitro to numbers ušed in clinical application.

        Key words: Multiple myeloma, immunotherapy, interferon gamma, T cell