King’s College London uses CN Bio to investigate chronic liver disease

King’s College London is using CNBio’s PhysioMimix Multi-Organ MPS. Following a research collaboration, King’s College London selected the system to create a human-relevant liver-intestinal model for characterising and manipulating host-microbial interactions, to support improved outcomes in cirrhosis.

Launched in March 2021¹, the product combines CN Bio’s in vitro 3D liver model with a range of other organs, to provide in vitro human-relevant alternative to animals that facilitates the investigation of inter-organ cross talk effects.

There is an increasing burden of chronic liver disease worldwide, with cirrhosis and the complications of viral hepatitis accounting for two million deaths per year². The gut microbiome is significant in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis; caused by an imbalance between healthy and pathogenic gut bacteria. However, identifying key biomarkers and understanding how to manipulate the resident microbiota to improve outcomes in cirrhosis remains a major area of unmet clinical need.

CN Bio’s PhysioMimix Multi-Organ MPS will allow King’s College London’s research team to create a human two-organ liver-intestinal model to investigate the gut microbiota-liver axis and identify key progressive stages towards liver failure. By using multifaceted-omics analysis, their research aims to explore modulating the microbiome, to restore the gut barrier function and innate immunity, and subsequently develop novel interventions that minimise further liver deterioration.

Professor Debbie Shawcross, Professor of Hepatology and Chronic Liver Failure, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, said: “Human Gut-liver-Chip technology has the potential to provide significant ethical and research advantages over animal models, including easier manipulation and removal of cross-species translatability. We hope to evidence the utility of this platform, to benefit research in liver disorders and the microbiome space, for which liver or intestinal data could help find potential therapeutic solutions.”

1. CN Bio introduces the PhysioMimix OOC Multi-Organ Microphysiological System (17^th March 2021)
2. Fleming KM, Aithal GP, Card TR, et al. All-cause mortality in people with cirrhosis compared with the general population: a population based cohort study. Liver Int 2012;32(1):79-84.