Lab-grown human liver scar tissue to speed development of anti-fibrosis medicines
Official title: Liver fibrosis cell-based assay platform: integrating patient-derived fibrotic liver ECM with primary stellate cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatocytes to accelerate anti-fibrotic drug development
Funded at Xylyx Bio, INC. · NIH-11249098 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project makes lab models of human liver scarring using patient tissue so researchers can find better medicines for people with liver fibrosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Xylyx Bio, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Brooklyn, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $967,715 |
| NIH project number | 4R44DK139877-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249098 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people with liver fibrosis or other chronic liver diseases who can donate liver tissue (for example, from biopsy or surgery) to help build the platform.
✕Less likely to help
People without liver disease, or those not able or willing to donate tissue, are unlikely to directly benefit from participating in this project.
What this research studies
Researchers are creating engineered pieces of human liver with fibrotic (scarred) extracellular matrix taken from patients and then repopulating them with primary liver cells including stellate cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatocytes. The goal is a cell-based assay that mimics real human liver fibrosis for drug testing in the lab. The work is intended to produce a commercially available testing platform that performs consistently with patient data and reduces reliance on animal models. The SBIR project supports development and validation steps needed to bring the product to market.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed the discovery and testing of medicines that slow or reverse liver fibrosis and make preclinical testing more predictive for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Related organoid and in-vitro liver models have shown promise for drug screening, but commercially available platforms using patient-derived fibrotic liver ECM are novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Xylyx Bio, INC.
Brooklyn, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'neill, John David — Xylyx Bio, INC.
- Study coordinator: O'neill, John David
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.