Patient-based liver models and resources for safer drug testing
MPS Resources Section
Creating patient-derived liver models and resources to help drug makers predict how medicines affect people with liver conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294215 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will build a standardized platform of patient-derived, biomimetic liver microphysiology systems (MPS) that mimic human liver function using primary and iPSC-derived cells. The Resources Section will set up workflows, validation, and quality control for materials and partner with commercial vendors to supply cells, media, devices, and automation. The team will integrate medium-throughput, high-content automated testing with an analytics platform to run studies and record protocols. Clinical samples and collaboration with the UPMC FLOW Clinic will link the lab models to real patient biology to qualify the platform for four drug-development uses before making it commercially available.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people with fatty liver disease seen at the UPMC FLOW Clinic or individuals willing to donate liver cells, blood, or tissue for research.
Not a fit: People without liver conditions or those unable or unwilling to provide samples are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this resource-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help spot liver toxicity earlier and make drug development safer and better tailored for people with liver disease.
How similar studies have performed: Organs-on-chip and liver MPS approaches have shown promising early success in predicting drug responses and drawing regulatory interest, but broad qualification across multiple drug-development uses is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vernetti, Lawrence a — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Vernetti, Lawrence a
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 below.