International Research Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

ABSTRACT

A series of experiments were carried out using Elotuzumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone on MM.1S and H929 myeloma cell lines to test their efficacy in vitro and to develop a flow cytometry methodology for the detection of the SLAMF7 receptor on these cells. Elotuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the SLAMF7 receptor and is normally used in conjunction with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in the treatment of multiple myeloma.  Five experiments were run over a period of five weeks. In these experiments, different concentrations of the test drugs singly and in combination were incubated together with cultures of the two cell types. An MTT assay was then used to measure the survival rate of the cells. In addition, the efficacy of old, frozen and fresh batches of Elotuzumab on survival rates was also tested. Finally, the expression of SLAM 7 antibodies was compared between the two cell types using an immunofluorescence and flow cytometric technique. Initial runs failed to produce any significant reduction in survival rates due to Elotuzumab, presumably due to the age of the Elotuzumab sample being used. Use of fresh batches of Elotuzumab yielded the effects associated with the drug which was a reduction in cell viability. Dexamethasone, when used alone or in combinations with the two other drugs produced the greatest reductions in cell survival rates. Lenalidomide only produced moderate reductions in survival rates. There was greater SLAM 7 expression in MM.1S than in the H929 cell types. These results indicate that Elotuzumab alone or in combination with dexamethasone or lenalidomide is only responsible for a small amount of myeloma cell death. Further experiments need to be conducted to determine its efficacy in vivo.