Organovo Holdings, Inc. (Organovo), a three-dimensional biology company focused on delivering scientific and medical breakthroughs using its 3D bioprinting technology, announced that it has received a strong customer response for its second tissue service, the ExVive Human Kidney Tissue. This kidney proximal tubule model was launched in September, and is a natural expansion of the company’s preclinical product and service portfolio. Customers use Organovo’s 3D bioprinted kidney tissue to study the effects of drug exposure through toxicology panels and transporter studies. The company already has multiple commercial orders from several customers, including with two, global, top 25 pharmaceutical companies.

“Nephrotoxicity is a key concern in drug development and the proximal tubule is the primary site of renal toxicity,” said Dr. Caroline Lee, senior director, Ardea Biosciences, Inc. “Specifically, transporters in the proximal tubule play a crucial role in the distribution and accumulation of drugs in the kidney. The ExVive Human Kidney Tissue provides an ideal means to study the impact of renal transporters on the disposition of drugs because it closely resembles native human kidney proximal tubule, with its polarized renal epithelial cells and tubulointerstitial interface and in particular its native expression level of transporters enabling formation of the transport network.”  Ardea Biosciences, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca PLC.

"At La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company, we incorporate in vitro models to assess nephrotoxicity in the preclinical stage of drug development,” said Dr. Andrew Seacat, director, preclinical development, La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company. “Early safety prediction of compounds is challenging and many drugs fail in the clinic because of renal toxicity. Organovo has developed an in vitro human kidney tissue model that allows for study of renal toxicity, biomarker expression, and overall cellular and tissue health following compound exposure. La Jolla currently utilizes the ExVive Human Kidney Tissue model to assess the renal impact of our compounds during development.”