Screening a compound library to identify additives which boost cytochrome P450 enzyme function in vascularised liver spheres

To accurately study human organ function and disease ‘in the dish’, it is necessary to develop reliable cell-based models that closely track human physiology. Our interest lay with the liver which is the largest solid organ in the body. The liver is a multifunctional and highly re-generative organ, however, severe liver damage can have dire consequences for human health. A common cause of liver damage is adverse reactions to prescription drugs. Therefore, the development of predictive liver models that capture human drug metabolism patterns are required to optimise the drug development process. In our study we aimed to identify compounds which could improve the metabolic function of stem cell derived liver tissue. Therefore, we screened a compound library to identify additives which improved the maturity of in vitro engineered hu-man tissue, with the rationale that by taking such an approach we would be able to fine tune neonatal and adult cytochrome P450 metabolic function in stem cell derived liver tissue.