citations

                    A High-Throughput Microphysiological Liver Chip System to Model Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using Human Liver Organoids
                

Authors:

Sophia R. Meyer , Charles J. Zhang , Max A. Garcia, Megan C. Procario , Sanghee Yoo , Amber L. Jolly, Sumin Kim , Jiho Kim , Kyusuk Baek , Roland D. Kersten , Robert J. Fontana , Jonathan Z. Sexton

In:

Source:
Publication Date: (2024)
Issue: :

Research Area:

Gastroenterology

Drug Discovery

Cells used in publication:

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS), human: Species: human; Tissue Origin:

Culture Media:

Hepatocyte Culture Medium

Experiment

DE spheroids were embedded in 75 µL Matrigel (Corning, 354234) droplets in 6 well
plates and treated with retinoic acid for 4 days followed by hepatocyte growth media (Hepatocyte Culture Medium BulletKit (Lonza, CC-3198) supplemented with 10 ng/mL
hepatocyte growth factor (PeproTech, 100-39), 20 ng/mL oncostatin M (R&D Systems, 295OM050), and 0.1 µM dexamethasone (Millipore Sigma, D4902)) for 16 days. Following culture, cells were removed from Matrigel embeddings by mechanical dislodging with 10 mL wash media (DMEM/F12 supplemented with 1X pen/strep). In 15 mL tubes, organoids in Matrigel were broken apart by repetitive pipetting and spun down at 300 x g for 3 minutes.Media and Matrigel were carefully aspirated before repeating washing with fresh 10 mL of wash media. This procedure was repeated until most Matrigel residue was visually removed following roughly 3-5 washes.

ghadvances.org/article/S2772-5723(24)00118-3/pdf

Abstract

Background and Aims

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major failure mode in pharmaceutical development. This study aims to address the limitations of existing preclinical models by assessing a high-throughput, microfluidic liver-on-a-chip system, termed "Curio Barrier Liver Chips," and its capacity to recapitulate effects of chronic hepatotoxic drug treatment through metabolic and phenotypic characterization.

Methods

Curio Barrier liver chips (Curiochips), fabricated in an 8x2 well configuration, were utilized to establish 3D liver organoid cultures. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were differentiated into human liver organoids (HLOs), and their viability, liver-specific functions, and pharmacological responses were assessed over 28 days.

Results

The Curiochips successfully maintained liver physiology and function, showing strong albumin secretion and cytochrome (CYP) P450 activities for 28 days. Unlike traditional models requiring millimolar drug concentrations to detect hepatotoxicity, this platform showed increased sensitivity for APAP and FIAU at micromolar concentrations. In situ differentiation of foregut spheroids to liver organoids was also achieved, further simplifying the establishment of liver chips. Furthermore, the chips demonstrated viability, function, and DILI responsiveness for 28 days, making this an improved model for studying idiosyncratic DILI with prolonged drug exposure and high-throughput capabilities compared to other available systems or primary human hepatocytes.

Conclusions

The Curiochips offer an advanced, miniaturized in vitro model for early-stage drug development and a sensitive, responsive, and cost-effective means to detect direct hepatotoxicity. iPSC liver organoids, in conjunction with the Curiochip, deliver a high-throughput platform with robust functionality and pharmacological responsiveness that make it a promising tool for improving the prediction and understanding of DILI risk prediction, especially with prolonged drug exposure. The model also opens new avenues for research in other chronic liver diseases.