Analysis of chemotherapeutic response heterogeneity and drug clustering based on mechanism of action using an in vitro assay.
BACKGROUND
Cancer chemotherapeutic treatment is a complex scientific task. The ChemoFx Drug Response Marker (DRM) assists physicians in identifying treatment protocols likely to be effective for specific patients.


METHODS
The ChemoFx DRM was used to study drug response in vitro. Established human cancer cell lines and primary cultures of patient tumor specimens were challenged with chemotherapeutic agents to observe response of multiple tumor samples and determine whether drugs with similar mechanisms of action elicit similar response.


RESULTS
These studies demonstrated heterogeneous response among patient tumor samples and clustering of drug response with similar mechanisms of action. Also highlighted was the reproducibility of ChemoFx DRM and its utility in characterizing tumor response to chemotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Heterogeneous drug responses observed in vitro were similar to those observed clinically. Response characteristics were similar for drugs with similar mechanisms of action, suggesting response heterogeneity is determined at a cellular and molecular level.
Rice
Shara D
SD
Precision Therapeutics, Inc., 2516 Jane Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, USA.
Heinzman
Jamie M
JM
Brower
Stacey L
SL
Ervin
Paul R
PR
Song
Nan
N
Shen
Kui
K
Wang
Dakun
D
D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D017671:Platinum Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D043823:Taxoids / Q000494:pharmacology
D018943:Anthracyclines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; D017671:Platinum Compounds; D043823:Taxoids; C080625:taxane