National Center For Toxicological Research

ZURICH, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InSphero, the global leader in 3D cell culture technology, and scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) have published the largest-ever benchmarking study on liver toxicology using 3D InSight™ Human Liver Microtissues. The study tested the hepatotoxicity of 152 FDA-approved drugs, providing compelling evidence that this high-throughput safety platform can play a crucial role in early-stage drug safety testing, potentially reducing attrition rates. Most notably, 3D liver microtissues correctly flagged 80% of the compounds that were later withdrawn due to liver safety concerns. The peer-reviewed paper, published in Toxicological Sciences, the official journal of the Society of Toxicology, marks a significant advancement in predicting drug-induced liver injury (DILI), a major cause of development discontinuation. InSphero's 3D InSight™ Human Liver Microtissues are unique in combining hepatocytes from ten individuals with other important liver cell types to recapitulate the physiology accurately. This results in a market-leading predictivity: 80% of the withdrawn drugs were correctly classified as toxic, while 89% of the safe drugs were labelled accurately, too. The results highlight the unprecedented predictive accuracy, particularly for liver-toxic drugs targeting the nervous system with an impressive 90% success rate. "Our work with the FDA's NCTR is a breakthrough in liver toxicology research and sets a new industry standard," said Dr. Jan Lichtenberg, CEO and Co-founder of InSphero. "The 152 FDA-approved compounds used for this study had all undergone classical preclinical and clinical safety testing, including studies in animals. Despite this, some compounds were later withdrawn due to liver safety concerns. We were able to correctly flag 80% of these withdrawn compounds using a cost-efficient, highly biologically relevant, and fast in vitro assay. This provides a promising path to reducing attrition and improving safety testing in the future." Driving Industry Transformation with Human-Based Safety Testing As the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 encourages a shift toward human-based in vitro testing, this study solidifies InSphero's 3D InSight™ Human Liver Microtissues as a cornerstone technology for modern safety assessment. By providing accurate data early in the drug discovery process, InSphero's platform reduces reliance on animal testing and directs resources towards safer, more effective drug candidates. "Our 3D InSight™ Liver Safety Platform integrates biological accuracy with the cost-efficiency and automation-readiness that industrial applications demand," said Dr. Madhu Nag, Chief Scientific Officer at InSphero. "We're enabling drug developers to make informed decisions earlier in the development process with a profound impact on reducing late-stage failures and accelerating the delivery of safer drugs to market." Unmatched Economic and Predictive Impact The combination of predictive accuracy and scalability is poised to deliver significant economic advantages. By flagging hepatotoxic compounds earlier, drug developers could save millions in preclinical costs while improving R&D productivity and compound safety. This study also demonstrates the reproducibility of InSphero's liver model, ensuring reliability at scale. "Human liver microtissues offer a highly physiological model with the same throughput as traditional 2D cell cultures, but with far greater biological relevance," said Dr. Bruno Filippi, Vice-President of Liver Safety at InSphero. "This positions our platform as a powerful tool for early-stage safety testing, helping drug developers identify toxic compounds before costly animal trials or clinical studies, leading to significant cost savings." For more information on InSphero's 3D InSight™ Liver Safety Solutions or to access the InSphero/ FDA peer-reviewed publication, please visit: About InSphero InSphero is the only 3D in vitro model company with the platform and expertise to modernize drug discovery in a way that empowers researchers to reach their full potential. Our innovative spheroid-based models allow more effective, safe therapies to contact the clinic through superior robustness, reliability, reproducibility, and scalability. InSphero's goal is to inspire the next generation of breakthrough therapies through customer obsession, commitment to innovation, and the model of excellence. Learn more at insphero.com. Follow the company on LinkedIn, X and Instagram, and sign up for the Scientific Newsletter. Media Contacts Rositsa Hadzhipetrova Head of Marketing, InSphero [email protected] Logo - WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 — Getting inked could make you sick. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers detected bacteria in commercial tattoo and permanent makeup inks, demonstrating that they could cause human infections. "Our findings reveal that unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbor anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments like the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria," said researcher Seong-Jae (Peter) Kim , a microbiologist at the National Center for Toxicological Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "This suggests that contaminated tattoo inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria," he added. The findings were published July 2 in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology , a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The researchers' goal was to gauge the prevalence of microbial contaminants in tattoo inks in the U.S. market. Kim said the findings emphasize the importance of monitoring the inks for bacteria and microorganisms. The team used a standard incubator and an anaerobic chamber to test ink solutions for bacteria. The incubator was used to look for aerobic bacteria, which need oxygen to thrive. The anaerobic chamber provided conditions ideal for bacteria that don't need oxygen. "Both types of bacteria, those needing oxygen [aerobic] and those not needing oxygen [anaerobic], can contaminate the inks," Kim said in a journal news release. His team tested 75 tattoo inks from 14 manufacturers. In all, about 35% of tattoo or permanent makeup inks sold in the United States were contaminated with bacteria, they found. Kim added that microbial infections aren't the only issue with the inks. Complications such as inflammatory and allergic reactions, as well as toxic responses, are other risks, he noted. "In light of our study results, we want to emphasize the importance of continuously monitoring these products to ensure the microbial safety of tattoo inks," Kim said. His team plans to continue working on two fronts. They will look to develop faster, more accurate and less labor-intensive ways to detect microbes in tattoo inks. They also plan to dig deeper into the diversity of microbial contaminants, in a bid to prevent tainting of the products. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.