InSphero launches NAFLD, NASH cellular drug development platform

InSphero AG announced the launch of 3D InSight Human Liver Disease Discovery Platform, a 3D cell technology for development and safety testing of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis drugs, according to a press release.

“Development of novel therapeutics for NASH has been impeded by the lack of predictive in vitro models that reflect the complex mechanisms underlying disease initiation and progression in patients,” Jan Lichtenberg, PhD, co-founder and CEO of InSphero, said in the release. “With the 3D InSight Human Liver Disease Platform for NAFLD and NASH, we are filling a huge unmet need in the research community for fast, efficient screening of drug candidates.”

The platform was designed to include all human liver cell types and inducers necessary to replicate NASH progression and complications such as hepatic fat, inflammation and fibrosis.

The company also noted partnerships with NASH drug developers to integrate this automation-compatible platform into their pipelines.

“Modelling all the elements of this human disease has been extremely challenging,” Scott L. Friedman, MD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said. “Drug screens with animal models of NASH can take months and do not always accurately reflect whether a drug will work on humans. InSphero’s platform offers a possible alternative for rapid screening of large numbers of drugs and combinations of drugs at different doses.”

Reference: www.insphero.com