Patent ID: 7718385

Claim:
An in vitro method of assessing cancer cell toxicity of an acylfulvene candidate drug, wherein the cancer cell is selected from leukemia, non-small cell lung, colon, central nervous system, melanoma, ovarian, renal, prostate and breast cancer cells, and wherein the cancer cells expresses NADPH alkenal/one oxidoreductase (AOR), comprising: incubating the candidate drug with a medium chain reductase that reduces an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde/ketone fulvene at ring position 8,9 of the candidate drug, wherein the medium chain reductase is a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO:3 or an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical thereto; determining a reduction rate for said candidate drug; and comparing said rate with a model substrate reduction rate; wherein a reduction rate for the candidate drug less than the reduction rate for the model substrate is predictive of increased cancer cell toxicity of the candidate acylfulvene drug compared with the model substrate, and wherein the model substrate is irofulvin.