3D-Printed Mini Liver Tissue LiverPrint for Drug Toxicity Testing: The Path to Replacing Animal Experiments Takes Shape
Organovo's LiverPrint 3D-printed mini liver tissue achieves 94% accuracy in drug toxicity prediction and gains FDA recognition as an alternative to animal hepatotoxicity experiments in IND applications.
3D-Printed Mini Liver Tissue LiverPrint for Drug Toxicity Testing: The Path to Replacing Animal Experiments Takes Shape
On July 19, 2028, US bioprinting company Organovo announced that its LiverPrint mini liver tissue has received FDA alternative method recognition for hepatotoxicity assessment in new drug IND applications, serving as a substitute data source for animal experiments.
LiverPrint is 3D-printed from human primary hepatocytes, stellate cells, and endothelial cells arranged in the microstructure of natural liver. Each tissue disc is approximately 6 millimeters in diameter and contains about 400,000 cells. These mini liver tissues maintain functional metabolic activity in vitro for up to 28 days -- sufficient to complete standard drug toxicity testing cycles.
Organovo's retrospective study showed LiverPrint achieved 94% accuracy in predicting known drug hepatotoxicity, compared to 68% and 72% for traditional animal models (rats and dogs) respectively. FDA recognition means pharmaceutical companies can use LiverPrint data to replace or supplement animal hepatotoxicity experiments when submitting IND applications, thereby reducing animal use while improving predictive accuracy.
Organovo has signed supply contracts with Pfizer, Roche, and Novartis, with LiverPrint tissue discs priced at $2,800 each.
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