This invention provides a method for determining susceptibility for an
anti-viral drug comprising: (a) introducing a resistance test vector
Comprising a patient-derived segment and an indicator gene into a host
cell; (b) culturing the host cell from (a); (c) measuring expression of
the indicator gene in a target host cell; and (d) comparing the
expression of the indicator gene from (c) with the expression of the
indicator gene measured when steps (a)-(c) are carried out in the absence
of the anti-viral drug, wherein a test concentration of the anti-viral
drug is present at steps (a)-(c); at steps (b)-(c); or at step (c). This
invention also provides a method for determining anti-viral drug
resistance in a patient comprising: (a) determining anti-viral drug
susceptibility in the patient at a first time using the susceptibility
test described above, wherein the patient-derived segment is obtained
from the patient at about said time; (b) determining anti-viral drug
susceptibility of the same patient at a later time; and (c) comparing the
anti-viral drug susceptibilities determined in step (a) and (b), wherein
a decrease in anti-viral drug susceptibility at the later time compared
to the first time indicates development or progression of anti-viral drug
resistance in the patient.