Human liver microphysiological system for studying acute and chronic drug-induced liver toxicity in vitro

The liver is one of the organs most susceptible to drug toxicity and drug induced liver injury (DILI). DILI is a major cause of drug attrition, with more than 750 FDA approved drugs known to have a degree of DILI risk. There are a number of strategies to de-risk DILI in drug discovery and, in recent years, focus has turned to human in vitro 3D liver models to better predict DILI in early and pre-clinical development. These models culture primary human liver cells, often in co-cultures, in a physiologically relevant environment allowing them to stay functional for extended periods of time. This application assesses whether a microphysiological system (MPS), also known as Organ-on-a-Chip (OOC), in vitro liver model could be used to understand the detailed mechanistic aspects of liver toxicity.