Liver fibrosis test platform using patient-derived liver tissue to speed anti-fibrosis drugs
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-11413845 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-focused liver fibrosis test platform is being developed to help speed the creation of medicines that treat liver scarring by using human-derived liver cells and tissue signals.
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 | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $956,566 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DK139877-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413845 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with liver fibrosis or related liver diseases whose tissue ECM is used to create the engineered lesions (via primary cells and patient-derived ECM).
✕Less likely to help
Patients without liver fibrosis or those whose tissue samples are not represented in the platform may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates a 3-D, human liver model that mimics fibrotic tissue using cells from liver patients plus their ECM to test potential drugs in the lab. The approach aims to provide a more accurate test bed for how drugs will work in people with liver fibrosis, compared with animal models. If successful, it could shorten the time to bring effective anti-fibrosis therapies to patients who have NAFLD, NASH, hepatitis C, and related conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this platform could speed the development of real therapies for liver fibrosis and reduce trial-and-error in drug development.
How similar studies have gone: Other liver disease models have struggled to predict human responses, making this approach relatively novel but built on ongoing efforts to improve in-vitro liver models.
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.