Method of measuring cell-substrate impedance in living cells to identify compounds affecting receptor tyrosine kinase (rtk) activity and pathways

A method of identifying a therapeutic compound for treating cancer in a human subject, the method comprising:

• a) providing a device that measures cell-substrate impedance, wherein the device comprises at least two wells, each well comprising an electrode array;
• b) culturing cancer cells in the at least two wells, wherein the cancer cells are obtained from a human subject and comprise a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathway;
• c) adding to a first well a proposed therapeutic compound that affects an RTK pathway and an RTK stimulating factor for the RTK pathway to form a test well, and adding to another well the RTK stimulating factor to form a control well;
• d) continuously monitoring cell-substrate impedance of the at least two wells and optionally determining cell indices from the monitored cell-substrate impedance;
• and
• e) determining a difference in impedance or optionally in cell index between the test well and control well;
• and if significantly different,
• f) concluding the proposed therapeutic compound is therapeutically active in the RTK pathway within the cancer cells of the human subject, thereby identifying the proposed therapeutic compound as a therapeutic compound for treating cancer in the human subject.