{"entity":{"id":"bh3-profiling","kind":"technology","name":"BH3 profiling (functional apoptosis testing)","aka":[],"tldr":"A lab test that measures how close a leukaemia cell is to self-destructing, and which survival protein is holding it back, to predict response to venetoclax-type drugs.","summary":"Permeabilised cells are exposed to BH3 peptides; mitochondrial depolarisation reveals dependence on BCL-2, BCL-XL, or MCL-1. Predicted venetoclax response in AML and CLL in research cohorts and explains MCL-1-mediated resistance. Being commercialised as a companion tool for BH3-mimetic selection and combination design.","status":"emerging","asOf":"2026-09-07","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bcl-2_family","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bcl-2_family"}],"tags":[],"related":["bcl2-inhibitors"],"cancers":["aml","cll"],"sections":["diagnostics","drug-discovery"],"technologies":["functional-drug-testing"],"targets":["bcl2"],"drugs":["venetoclax","sonrotoclax"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":["apoptosis-bcl2"],"terms":[],"trials":["nct03223662"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Dynamic BH3 profiling quantifies 'priming' for apoptosis after brief drug exposure.","strengths":["Functional readout of the pathway venetoclax targets","Fast (hours)"],"limitations":["Fresh cells required","Not yet a validated companion diagnostic"]},"route":"/technologies/bh3-profiling/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"bcl2-inhibitors","kind":"technology","name":"BCL-2 inhibitors","route":"/technologies/bcl2-inhibitors/"},{"id":"functional-precision-medicine-haematology","kind":"technology","name":"Ex vivo drug sensitivity screening in blood cancers (EXALT)","route":"/technologies/functional-precision-medicine-haematology/"},{"id":"functional-drug-testing","kind":"technology","name":"Functional (ex vivo) drug testing","route":"/technologies/functional-drug-testing/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"aml","kind":"cancer","name":"Acute myeloid leukaemia","route":"/cancers/aml/"},{"id":"cll","kind":"cancer","name":"Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia","route":"/cancers/cll/"}],"section":[{"id":"diagnostics","kind":"section","name":"Diagnostics & Biomarkers","route":"/fronts/diagnostics/"},{"id":"drug-discovery","kind":"section","name":"Drug Discovery Platforms","route":"/fronts/drug-discovery/"}],"target":[{"id":"bcl2","kind":"target","name":"BCL-2","route":"/targets/bcl2/"}],"drug":[{"id":"sonrotoclax","kind":"drug","name":"Sonrotoclax","route":"/drugs/sonrotoclax/"},{"id":"venetoclax","kind":"drug","name":"Venetoclax","route":"/drugs/venetoclax/"}],"pathway":[{"id":"extrinsic-apoptosis-death-receptors","kind":"pathway","name":"Extrinsic apoptosis (death receptors)","route":"/pathways/extrinsic-apoptosis-death-receptors/"},{"id":"apoptosis-bcl2","kind":"pathway","name":"Intrinsic apoptosis (BCL-2 family)","route":"/pathways/apoptosis-bcl2/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct03223662","kind":"trial","name":"Metabolomic and BH3 Profiling of Esophageal Cancers: Identification of Novel Assessment Methods of Treatment Response for Precision Therapy","route":"/trials/nct03223662/"}],"person":[{"id":"anthony-letai","kind":"person","name":"Anthony Letai","route":"/people/anthony-letai/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-preclinical-models","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Lab models that fail to predict what happens in patients","route":"/bottlenecks/b-preclinical-models/"},{"id":"b-combination-space","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Too many combinations to test","route":"/bottlenecks/b-combination-space/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-tr2-hrd-functional-standard","kind":"idea","name":"A functional test for homologous recombination deficiency validated across laboratories","route":"/ideas/idea-tr2-hrd-functional-standard/"},{"id":"idea-bio2-functional-precision-rare","kind":"idea","name":"Test drugs on the patient's own cancer cells when there is no trial to join","route":"/ideas/idea-bio2-functional-precision-rare/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"drug-discovery-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Drug discovery roadmap: screening in mice → maps of dependency → designing in silico","route":"/roadmaps/drug-discovery-roadmap/"}]}}