Organovo Holdings, Inc announced it has awarded the 2017 ExVive 3D Tissue Application Award to researchers at Amgen, Inc and Medikine, Inc. The program is designed to explore new applications using Organovo’s ExVive Liver and Kidney Tissues in collaboration with biopharmaceutical partners. The Company had many applicants for its awards, with the winners submitting the two most creative and novel proposals with the aim of bridging preclinical and clinical research. The projects will be performed by Organovo and include comprehensive studies and data analysis.
“Amgen consistently works to develop improved in vitro models that can more accurately predict potential safety issues before an investigational medicine ever reaches the clinic,” said Cindy Afshari, vice president, Comparative Biology and Safety Sciences, Amgen. “Current in vitro models lack the sensitivity to detect drug-induced fatty liver, a common reason drugs fail in clinical development, due to a variety of technical limitations. We look forward to collaborating with Organovo to further explore the utility of the ExVive Human Liver Tissue in addressing those issues.”
“Genetic and biochemical evidence indicates that key factors play a crucial role in the progression of renal fibrosis, sclerosis and subsequent organ dysfunction,” said Bill Dower, chief scientific officer of Medikine, Inc. “However, no therapeutic agents based on these key pathways have been developed to treat kidney disease. We are excited to be chosen for this award. We believe the ExVive Kidney Tissue is an excellent tool to study progression and reversal of fibrosis because of its multicellular nature.”
Organovo continues to partner with industry leaders to target attractive markets with critical unmet needs. Fatty liver disease and renal fibrosis are critical research areas for the Company’s clients, and customer demand for more predictive 3D solutions is robust. For example, the Company’s solutions can use both healthy and diseased cells in building bioprinted liver tissues to model clinical pathologies of a disease. Organovo is working to create ‘human preclinical models’ to enable earlier insights in drug discovery. In addition, deteriorating liver and kidney health around the world makes it critical to understand how new and existing drugs perform in these expanding patient populations. Accurately modeling these diseases will be critical for our clients as they strive to assess the efficacy and safety of their drugs in real-world populations, and the Company believes regulators around the world will expect more representative human studies before approving a new drug.
“We are pleased to support innovative applications using our dynamic liver and kidney tissue systems,” noted Taylor J. Crouch, CEO, Organovo. “Through our grant program, Organovo will work closely with partners to design 3D tissue solutions in vital areas of high-value drug profiling. These applications will support the increased demand for translational in vitro models and benefit a broader customer base.”
