Antimyeloma efficacy of thalidomide in the SCID-hu model.

To determine the mechanism of thalidomide's antimyeloma efficacy, we studied the drug's activity in our severe combined immunodeficiency-human (SCID-hu) host system for primary human myeloma. In this model, tumor cells interact with the human microenvironment to produce typical myeloma manifestations in the hosts, including stimulation of neoangiogenesis. Because mice are not able to metabolize thalidomide efficiently, SCID-hu mice received implants of fetal human liver fragments under the renal capsule in addition to subcutaneous implants of the fetal human bone.

Myeloma interacts with the bone marrow microenvironment to induce osteoclastogenesis and is dependent on osteoclast activity.

Myeloma tumour growth, except in the most advanced stages of the disease, is restricted to the bone marrow. We used the severe combined immunodeficient-human (SCID-hu) host system, in which primary human myeloma cells grow in, disseminate to and interact with a human microenvironment, to study the interactions between myeloma cells and cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. We used inhibitors of osteoclast activity to determine the role of osteoclasts and their products in supporting myeloma cell growth.