CN Bio launches new animal liver-on-a-chip models to improve preclinical drug safety and toxicology

CN Bio has expanded its Contract Research Services (CRS) by launching two new animal microphysiological system (MPS) liver models, enabling drug developers worldwide to compare human, rat, and dog liver-on-a-chip data in parallel. By extending its FDA-recognized drug induced liver injury (DILI) assay, the company aims to improve the translatability of preclinical drug safety and toxicology assessments, optimize in vivo study design, and reduce the risk of advancing unsafe or abandoning potentially life-saving drug candidates.

Addressing limitations in traditional toxicity testing

Conventional human in vitro methods often lack the physiological complexity needed to accurately predict drug toxicity. In addition, discrepancies between in vitro assays and in vivo animal studies can make it difficult to reliably assess safety risks for humans during preclinical testing. These gaps can result in unsafe compounds progressing into clinical trials, while promising candidates are incorrectly classified as toxic and discontinued.

Expanded IVIVE capabilities with PhysioMimix DILI assay

In response to growing demand for more predictive preclinical tools, CN Bio has expanded the in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) capabilities of its established PhysioMimix DILI assay. The enhanced platform now supports straightforward comparison of results across human-, rat-, and dog-derived liver-on-a-chip models.

This expanded offering provides a modernized workflow to generate predictive and actionable insights that help mitigate the risk of costly, late-stage conflicting data. By flagging interspecies differences in hepatotoxicity early, the models support better informed in vivo study design and contribute to the reduction of unnecessary animal use.

Early detection of hepatotoxicity and DILI

The liver-on-a-chip assay enables a broad range of longitudinal and endpoint testing for DILI-specific biomarkers from single- or repeat-dosing studies over a 14-day experimental window. This extended timeframe allows researchers to capture both immediate and latent effects of drug candidates on liver function.

By delivering a more comprehensive overview of underlying mechanisms of hepatotoxicity, the assay improves IVIVE assessment and supports more confident decision-making throughout the drug development pipeline. The ability to compare human, rat, and dog data side by side provides early warning of hepatotoxicity or DILI before in vivo studies are initiated.

Expert perspective on interspecies differences

Dr. Emily Richardson, Lead Scientist, Safety and Toxicology at CN Bio, highlighted the importance of addressing species differences in preclinical safety testing. She said, “Understanding safety risks is critical to successful drug development, however, fundamental physiological and biological differences between species can lead to inaccuracies in predictions, often causing drug candidates to be wrongfully abandoned as toxic, or worse, mistakenly classified as safe.”

She added, “Having established our DILI assay as an industry leading option to garner more valuable insights across the development pipeline, we were in an ideal position to expand its capabilities and address this crucial gap in understanding hepatotoxicity using the most commonly used animal models.”

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