Lonza’s New Spheroid-Forming Human Hepatocytes Facilitate Improved In Vitro Liver Model Systems

Walkersville, MD (USA) / Basel (CH), 4 March 2019 – Lonza has further expanded its hepatocytes portfolio characterization with the addition of Verified for Spheroids™ Human Hepatocytes, which are pre-screened for their ability to promote rapid spheroid formation in cell culture. Researchers working in toxicology, disease modeling and DMPK studies can now feel more confident in the performance of Lonza’s hepatocytes in their spheroid and other 3-dimensional (3D) culture platforms.

Lonza’s Verified for Spheroids™ Human Hepatocytes will be unveiled at the 58th Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting and ToxExpo from 10-14 March in Baltimore, MD (USA). At Booth #3322 Lonza experts will demonstrate how this innovative new range of primary plateable hepatocytes ensures rapid spheroid formation.

Physiologically relevant in vitro liver model systems play a crucial role in the success of toxicology, disease modeling and DMPK studies. Conventional 2-dimensional (2D) hepatocyte cultures offer good short-term models, but they tend to rapidly lose typical hepatocyte functionality, which makes them unsuitable for longer-term studies.

To address this challenge, self-assembling liver spheroids generated from primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are increasingly employed. These spheroids exhibit in vivo-like cell organization, improve the predictability of known clinical liver toxicants and preserve the viability and functionality of the hepatocytes. However, not all currently available hepatocyte donor batches are capable of forming spheroids in culture.

"Using spheroids as in vitro liver model systems requires researchers to carefully select donors and thoroughly examine hepatocyte lots in advance," said Erica Chamberlin, Technical Specialist at Lonza. "With our Verified for Spheroids™ Human Hepatocytes, we take on this burden on behalf of our customers, enabling them to focus on what matters most – their science."

Poster: Comparison of Primary Human Hepatocyte Spheroid Generation and Performance in Different Culture Systems
During the SOT Annual Meeting, Dr. Magdalene Stosik, Senior Scientist at Lonza, will present the results of a study whereby Lonza analyzed and optimized the formation, culture and performance of PHH in different spheroid culture systems. The study also compared metabolic function and viability of the spheroids over 28 days in culture. Primary human hepatocyte spheroids were rapidly generated that exhibited the ability to support liver metabolic function during long-term exposure and repeated dosing toxicology studies.

Symposium: 3D Human Organoids for Drug Toxicity, Metabolism and Disease State Studies
Lonza will sponsor this symposium, during which guest speaker Dr. Colin Edward Bishop, Professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC (USA), will discuss the key role 3D human organoids play in driving innovation across drug toxicity, metabolism and disease state studies.

Key Dates to Note:
Verified for Spheroids™ Human Hepatocytes will be demonstrated:

·         11-13 March, 9:15 am-4:30 pm

·         At Booth #3322 at the Baltimore Convention Center

The poster presentation will be held:

·         11 March, 1:30-3:00 pm

·         On Poster P252 at the Baltimore Convention Center

The symposium will be held:

·         13 March, 10:30-11:30am

·         In CC Room 338 at the Baltimore Convention Center