Purified or unseparated lymphocytes can be activated for proliferation and DNA synthesis can be measured by a variety of techniques: dye method MTT, Alomar blue, CTG, or 3H-thymidine incorporation, or activation by cytokine production, expression of activation antigens, or increase in cell size. Activation is accomplished by incubating cells with nonspecific activators such as Concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), phorbol myristic acetate (PMA), an ionophore, an antibody to T cell receptors, or stimulation with specific antigen to which the cells are sensitized.

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