Variable Cell Line Pharmacokinetics Contribute to Non-Linear Treatment Response in Heterogeneous Cell Populations

We develop a combined experimental–mathematical framework to investigate heterogeneity in the context of breast cancer treated with doxorubicin. We engineer a cell line to over-express the multi-drug resistance 1 protein (MDR1), an ATP-dependent pump that effluxes intracellular drug. Co-culture experiments mixing the MDR1-overexpressing line with its parental line are evaluated via fluorescence microscopy. To quantify the impact of population heterogeneity on therapy response, these data are analyzed with a coupled pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics model. The proliferation and death rates of each line vary with co-culture condition (the relative fraction of each cell line at the time of seeding). For example, the death rate in the parental line under low-dose doxorubicin treatment is increased from 0.64 (± 0.22) × 10−2 to 1.46 (± 0.58) × 10−2 h−1 with increasing fractions of MDR1-overexpressing cells. The growth rate of the MDR1-overexpressing line increases 29% as its relative fraction is decreased. Simulations of the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics model suggest increased efflux from MDR1-overexpressing cells contributes to the increased death rate in the parental cells. Experimentally, the death rate of parental cells is constant across co-culture conditions under co-treatment with an MDR1 inhibitor. These data indicate that intercellular pharmacokinetic variability should be considered in analyzing treatment response in heterogeneous populations.