SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Organovo
Holdings, Inc. (NYSE MKT: ONVO) ("Organovo"), a
three-dimensional biology company focused on delivering
breakthrough 3D bioprinting technology, presented data on the
company's in vitro three-dimensional kidney tissue at the 2015
Experimental Biology conference in Boston, Massachusetts.
"Kidney represents an ideal extension of Organovo's capabilities
to 3D bioprint organ tissues that can be tremendously useful in
pharmaceutical research," said Keith
Murphy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Organovo.
"The results released today admirably demonstrate a proof of
concept that kidney is on the way to becoming another core
commercial tissue for Organovo. The product that we intend to
build from these initial results can be an excellent expansion for
our core customers in toxicology, who regularly express to us an
interest in having better solutions for the assessment of human
kidney toxicity."
For the first time, fully human kidney proximal tubular tissues
have been generated that are three-dimensional, and consist of
multiple tissue-relevant cell types arranged to recapitulate the
renal tubular / interstitial interface. The tissues are fabricated
using Organovo's proprietary NovoGenTM bioprinting
platform, and will ultimately join the company's
exVive3DTM Liver tissues to expand the repertoire of
physiologically-relevant tissue systems available for toxicity and
efficacy testing as well as disease modeling. Dr.
Sharon Presnell, Chief Technology
Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development,
stated, "Our bioprinted human kidney tissue represents a
significant technical advance over the simple monolayer cell line
cultures that predominate today. The histologic and functional
features of the initial prototypes are compelling, and the in
vitro durability of the system will likely enable the
assessment of drug effects at chronic, physiologically relevant
doses. Furthermore, the cellular complexity of the system will
likely support mechanistic investigations into drug responses,
including end points that have been difficult or impossible to
assess in vitro, including tubular fibrosis and post-injury
recovery."
Key findings and attributes from Organovo's research
include:
- The kidney proximal tubule tissue is
multi-cellular and fully human, consisting of
polarized renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTEC) and
a living interstitial layer comprised of renal fibroblasts (RF),
and endothelial cells (EC)
- Immunohistochemical analysis shows clear evidence of
intercellular junction formation (E-Cadherin+) between the
epithelial cells, extensive formation of microvascular structures,
and stable maintenance of
the layered architecture for at least two weeks
in vitro
- The epithelial cells within the multi-layered tubular model
express CYP450 mRNAs and possess
gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity, both of which are
indicators of RPTEC function. Importantly, our initial
characterization shows that the expression of GGT increases over
two weeks post-fabrication, indicating a gain-of-function over
time
About Organovo Holdings, Inc.
Organovo designs and creates functional, three-dimensional human
tissues for use in medical research and therapeutic applications.
The Company develops 3D human disease models through internal
development and in collaboration with pharmaceutical and academic
partners. Organovo's 3D human tissues have the potential to
accelerate the drug discovery process, enabling treatments to be
developed faster and at lower cost. The company recently launched
its initial product of the planned exVive3D™ portfolio offering, a
3D Human Liver Tissue for use in Toxicology and other preclinical
drug testing. Additional products are in development, with
anticipated release for an exVive3DTM Human Kidney Tissue in the
latter half of calendar year 2016. The Company also actively
conducts early research on specific tissues for therapeutic use in
direct surgical applications. In addition to numerous scientific
publications, the Company's technology has been featured in The
Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Economist, and numerous
other media outlets. Organovo is changing the shape of medical
research and practice. Learn more at www.organovo.com.
Sign up for email updates and connect with us on Twitter
(@Organovo).
Safe Harbor Statement
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describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements
as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are
based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks
and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual future
results to differ materially from current expectations include, but
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SOURCE Organovo Holdings, Inc.