Cyprotex unveils new 3D liver model

Cyprotex was touting its solution to the problem of detecting hepatotoxic potential on Thursday, announcing the launch of a new advanced 3D liver model.

The AIM-traded specialist ADME-Tox and Bioscience Contract Research Organisation (CRO) described hepatotoxicity as a major cause of drug attrition, with preclinical animal studies often failing to detect it.

As a result, Cyprotex explained, hepatotoxic liability was only detected at a late stage when the drug had reached the clinic.

The company said in vitro-based human cellular models were showing promise as alternatives to animal-based testing and were able to provide a mechanistic understanding of hepatotoxicity.

Cyprotex claimed to have specialist expertise in 3D cellular research, and said it had developed various organ-specific models and co-culture models, which could lead to detailed analyses of the 3D cellular structures being performed.

Its new 3D hepatotoxicity model analysed multiple high-content endpoints, enabling an accurate prediction of the likelihood of liver toxicity in humans and allowing the mechanism behind the hepatotoxicity to be explored in detail.

"Developing 3D cell-based models has been a key focus of our research during the past 12 months. Not only are these models proving valuable for toxicology testing but they are also showing promise in efficacy and ADME testing, and are being used within a number of different industries,” said Cyprotex chief executive Dr Anthony Baxter.

“For example, in vitro reconstructed 3D skin models are now the standard technique within the cosmetics market for testing skin and ocular irritation and corrosion. Although 2D models are currently the preferred choice for testing new pharmaceuticals, this is expected to change as the potential of 3D technology is realised,” he added.