In drug development, liver toxicity is one of the leading reasons for failure. It is also the major reason for removing approved drugs from the market. In vivo toxicity testing is a key step in testing drug safety. However, due to the time and cost involved, it is not practical to test many compounds produced during early stages in animals. As a result, in vivo studies are usually conducted on a limited number of late-stage compounds. Species differences also limit the predictability of animal models.
The use of human primary or derived cells in in vitro toxicity assays mimics in vivo studies, which offers a reliable tool for assessing safety at an early stage in the development of drugs. A Drug Induced Liver Injury is challenging to predict since the mechanisms involved include reactive metabolites, reactive oxygen species (ROS), impairment of mitochondrial function, inflammatory reactions, and imbalances between the protective and damage responses.
Da-Ta biotech provides a panel of assays for early stage hepatotoxicity testing of drug candidates: a rapid and direct screening assay to detect potential hepatotoxicity early on (Cell Viability and Mitochondrial Toxicity panels).
