Abstract: The use of genomic tests shows variability between the primary tumor and the metastases in most circumstances referred to as tumor heterogeneity. Since it is unduly invasive and difficult to obtain samples from the primary and metastatic tumors within a patient, a need exists for a method of testing chemotherapeutic effectiveness in a patient that is applicable to both primary tumor and metastases. Provided are methods of using the MiCK assay to determine the most effective drug candidate(s) for an individual patient by testing a single tumor site. In a further embodiment, the kinetic unit (KU) value obtained by analysis of cancer cells from a tumor site in an individual patient in the presence of a drug candidate is within two standard deviations of the KU value obtained by analysis of a different tumor site in the patient in the presence of the same drug candidate.

Abstract: Methods of isolating and purifying hematologic or non-hematologic tumor cells useful in a variety of assays and procedures, including tumor drug efficacy screening such as Microculture Kinetic assays, are disclosed herein. Further, Microculture Kinetic assays and methods suitable for comparing the relative efficacy of generic versus proprietary anti-cancer drugs are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method of evaluating the ability of an anti-cancer drug candidate to induce apoptosis in a known cancer cell line by placing a single-cell suspension of a known cancer cell line in a well of a plate, adding at least one drug candidate to the well in an amount sufficient to achieve a target drug candidate concentration, measuring the optical density at selected time intervals for a selected duration of time, determining a kinetic units value from the optical density and time measurements, and correlating the kinetic units value with an ability of the anti-cancer drug candidate to induce apoptosis in the cancer cell line if the kinetic units value is positive. A similar method may be used to evaluate the ability of an anti-cancer drug candidate to induce apoptosis in a cancer type.