Understanding how drugs can harm the liver using patient-derived liver cells
Official title: Modeling Drug Induced Liver Injury with Patient-Derived Liver Organoids and Microfluidic Chips
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11082621 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how certain medications can harm the liver, and it's for anyone interested in understanding how we can better predict which drugs might cause liver problems by creating tiny liver models from patient cells.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $86,850 |
| NIH project number | 3R01GM152417-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11082621 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals with a history of drug-induced liver injury or those who are at risk for liver damage from medications.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have liver health concerns or are not taking medications that could potentially cause liver injury may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on drug-induced liver injury (DILI), a serious issue that can lead to severe health problems and affect drug development. The team will create liver organoids from patient-derived stem cells to better mimic human liver responses to drugs. By optimizing the quality of these organoids and using advanced imaging techniques, they aim to improve the prediction of which drugs may cause liver damage. Additionally, machine learning models will be developed to analyze cellular features and predict potential liver toxicity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to safer drug development and better predictions of liver injury risks for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using patient-derived cells for modeling drug effects, indicating that this approach could be effective.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sexton, Jonathan Zachary — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Sexton, Jonathan Zachary
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.