Q&A Report: A Novel, All-Human Hepatic Triculture System

Join Edward LeCluyse and Paul Gallant as they discuss LifeNet Health LifeSciences’ novel, all-human hepatic triculture system and discuss how it addresses the need for a convenient and human-relevant long-term hepatic culture.

These answers were provided by:

Edward LeCluyse, PhD
Chief Scientist
LifeSciences
LifeNet Health

Paul Gallant, BA
Global Sales Director
LifeSciences
LifeNet Health

You mentioned that the all-human hepatic Tri-Culture system is easy to use. Can you elaborate?

This question was largely addressed in the webinar, but customers can receive the kit and start the experiments within their own time frame.  They do not have to start immediately upon receipt of the kit.

What types of cells do you use for the feeder cells?

The feeder cells are a mixture of endothelial cells and stromal cells derived from primary human tissue sources.

I understand you are human donor specialists, but are you looking into animal models for the culture system?

We have successfully prequalified with one rodent model as part of our product development effort.  It was done as a custom project for a customer.

What is the cost for a start kit?

Please inquire through our website for a quote.

Have you tried UGT and CYP inhibitors, such as ABT?

We have not done this yet.

Do you also provide 3D gut models?

At this point, we have focused on liver, however, we currently have no plans to include cells from the gut.

Is evaporation from plates an issue when using them for multiple weeks?

We have some initial data on days without refeeding but it depends on the experimental design and plate format.  This condition is still under investigation.

Are the plates custom-made or just your typical collagen coated plates?

Both sets of plates can be purchased as off-the-shelf products from vendors.  We will make available an Information for Use sheet which has suggested catalog numbers.

When will the new products launch?

This product is set to launch by the end of 2022.

For high content imaging, what do you use to isolate the PHH from the feeder cells??

We recommend the direct imaging of only the intact Tri-Culture model.

Do you contract testing of compounds?

We perform custom contract testing of compounds.  Please contact us through our website.

What kind of cells are the feeder and hepatocytes? Are they primary cells? Can they be passaged? Are there sequencing data on the donors?

All the cells in the system are primary human cells.  The intent is for the customer to use the vials of cells as supplied without additional passaging.  Genotyping data for ADME/Tox SNPs are available for the donor of the hepatocytes.

It appears that there are only hepatocytes along with the feeder cells - will other cells be incorporated in the system?

Additional cells are being vetted for further development, such as Kupffer cells.

Are all the cells in the triculture from the same donor?

No, the feeder cells are not donor matched to the hepatocytes but are prequalified for the kit and may be used across a lot of kits.  The hepatocytes are chosen by the customer.

What are the feeder cells comprised of (Kupffers, stellates, LSECs?), and why do you seed feeder cells before PHHs? Lastly, have you tested/seeded this hepatic triculture in 3D and under flow?

The feeder cells are a mixture of endothelial and stromal cells.  They are seeded first to establish a support system for the hepatocytes.  We have not tested this system in 3D or with microfluidic flow as of yet.