Patent ID: 8221966
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: A61P,C12N,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A whole cell method for determining chemosensitivity of a patient's cancer cells to apoptosis-inducing chemotherapeutic agents, comprising: permeabilizing the patient's cancer cells, and determining change in mitochondrial membrane potential upon contacting the permeabilized cells with one or more BH3 domain peptides so as to probe the extant cellular apoptotic machinery, wherein the BH3 domain peptide is selected from a PUMA BH3 domain, a BAD BH3 domain, a BIK BH3 domain, a NOXA BH3 domain, a HRK BH3 domain, and a BMF BH3 domain; and correlating a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential with chemosensitivity of the cells to apoptosis-inducing chemotherapeutic agents.