The Hamner Launches New Program in 3D Liver Bioassays
Research Will Support Broader Mission of Better Predictive Assessments for Human Health.
Research Triangle Park, NC, February 04, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences has (http://www.thehamner.org) announced the formation of a research initiative using more realistic 3D tissue bioassays for in vitro toxicity testing. This program, with support from the American Chemistry Council, will produce better human tissue surrogates in accordance with the vision of the 2007 National Academies of Sciences report, “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century,” which advocates new in vitro approaches to chemical safety sciences. These new technologies will enhance human relevance of test results and significantly improve product stewardship and responsible care efforts. This research program could also have implications on improving drug safety, through a collaborative effort with scientists at The Hamner-UNC Institute for Drug Safety Sciences.
The new program will be led by Dr. Edward LeCluyse, a renowned expert in liver cell culturing and toxicology. Current 2D liver cell cultures are only viable in the lab for approximately one week, making them suitable for studying acute conditions. 3D cultures, on the other hand, typically are viable for one to two months, thus enabling studies of more prolonged exposure to chemicals. The program will also use multiple cell types to replicate the architecture of the human liver in the lab and, as the program matures, scientists will consider similar approaches for other tissues, such as lung, kidney and heart. For the initial phase of the program, novel cell culture systems will be developed and evaluated with the most promising technologies moving into validation for more routine use in toxicity testing.
Quotes:
“We are very pleased to have Dr. LeCluyse join us to lead this new program,” said Dr. Melvin Andersen, director of the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences. “Ed is a world-renowned specialist in this area, and we feel extremely fortunate to have someone with his track record, and ability to work collaboratively, with us here at The Institutes. His expertise will help accelerate the efforts toward establishing better, human-relevant approaches to risk assessments and the acceptance of the approaches outlined in ’Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century.’”
New Media Content:
The Hamner’s Twitter page
www.twitter.com/thehamner
Details:
- The 2007 National Academies of Sciences (NAS) report, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, A Vision and a Strategy, envisions a major program in the scientific community to advance the science of toxicity testing and foster implementation into everyday practice.
- The new paradigm will generate better data on the potential risks to humans posed by exposure to environmental agents and will assess chemicals much more efficiently.
- A stronger scientific foundation offers the prospect of improved risk-based regulatory decisions and greater public confidence in the decisions. Dr. Melvin Andersen, a co-author of the NAS report, is the director of the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences at The Hamner.
About Edward LeCluyse, Ph.D.:
Edward LeCluyse, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Investigator in the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Curriculum in Toxicology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Dr. LeCluyse has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, has held industry positions at Merck, CellzDirect, and Invitrogen, and was an Associate Professor in UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He most recently served as Scientific Director for HepaShear, part of HemoShear LLC, where he helped to develop an advanced human surrogate model of the liver, to be used as a tool for drug discovery and the study of liver disease. Dr. LeCluyse is the author of nearly 100 publications, book chapters, and review articles, and has presented numerous lectures and workshops in topics such as enzyme-induced drug interactions, liver toxicity and cultured hepatocytes.
About The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences:
The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is a nonprofit research organization located in the heart of Research Triangle Park (RTP), N.C. The two flagship institutes at The Hamner, the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences and the Hamner-UNC Institute for Drug Safety Sciences, build upon 35 years of preeminent research in toxicology and human health research to develop and validate new cutting-edge tools for safety assessment. Novel technologies currently being developed include in silico models for predictive toxicology, in vitro models that utilize human cells or cell lines to evaluate perturbations of cellular responses, and in vivo models to elucidate genes that play a role in susceptibility to drug-induced toxicities. The Hamner continues to grow its open, multidisciplinary campus through global partnerships with academia, industry, and government, and remains dedicated to positively impacting human health. For more information, please visit http://www.thehamner.org.
Ryal Curtis
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
ryal@mmipublicrelations.com
http://www.twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com
###
The new program will be led by Dr. Edward LeCluyse, a renowned expert in liver cell culturing and toxicology. Current 2D liver cell cultures are only viable in the lab for approximately one week, making them suitable for studying acute conditions. 3D cultures, on the other hand, typically are viable for one to two months, thus enabling studies of more prolonged exposure to chemicals. The program will also use multiple cell types to replicate the architecture of the human liver in the lab and, as the program matures, scientists will consider similar approaches for other tissues, such as lung, kidney and heart. For the initial phase of the program, novel cell culture systems will be developed and evaluated with the most promising technologies moving into validation for more routine use in toxicity testing.
Quotes:
“We are very pleased to have Dr. LeCluyse join us to lead this new program,” said Dr. Melvin Andersen, director of the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences. “Ed is a world-renowned specialist in this area, and we feel extremely fortunate to have someone with his track record, and ability to work collaboratively, with us here at The Institutes. His expertise will help accelerate the efforts toward establishing better, human-relevant approaches to risk assessments and the acceptance of the approaches outlined in ’Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century.’”
New Media Content:
The Hamner’s Twitter page
www.twitter.com/thehamner
Details:
- The 2007 National Academies of Sciences (NAS) report, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, A Vision and a Strategy, envisions a major program in the scientific community to advance the science of toxicity testing and foster implementation into everyday practice.
- The new paradigm will generate better data on the potential risks to humans posed by exposure to environmental agents and will assess chemicals much more efficiently.
- A stronger scientific foundation offers the prospect of improved risk-based regulatory decisions and greater public confidence in the decisions. Dr. Melvin Andersen, a co-author of the NAS report, is the director of the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences at The Hamner.
About Edward LeCluyse, Ph.D.:
Edward LeCluyse, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Investigator in the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Curriculum in Toxicology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Dr. LeCluyse has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, has held industry positions at Merck, CellzDirect, and Invitrogen, and was an Associate Professor in UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He most recently served as Scientific Director for HepaShear, part of HemoShear LLC, where he helped to develop an advanced human surrogate model of the liver, to be used as a tool for drug discovery and the study of liver disease. Dr. LeCluyse is the author of nearly 100 publications, book chapters, and review articles, and has presented numerous lectures and workshops in topics such as enzyme-induced drug interactions, liver toxicity and cultured hepatocytes.
About The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences:
The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is a nonprofit research organization located in the heart of Research Triangle Park (RTP), N.C. The two flagship institutes at The Hamner, the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences and the Hamner-UNC Institute for Drug Safety Sciences, build upon 35 years of preeminent research in toxicology and human health research to develop and validate new cutting-edge tools for safety assessment. Novel technologies currently being developed include in silico models for predictive toxicology, in vitro models that utilize human cells or cell lines to evaluate perturbations of cellular responses, and in vivo models to elucidate genes that play a role in susceptibility to drug-induced toxicities. The Hamner continues to grow its open, multidisciplinary campus through global partnerships with academia, industry, and government, and remains dedicated to positively impacting human health. For more information, please visit http://www.thehamner.org.
Ryal Curtis
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
ryal@mmipublicrelations.com
http://www.twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com
###
Contact
The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences
Patty Briguglio
919-233-6600
www.mmipublicrelations.com
Patty Briguglio
919-233-6600
www.mmipublicrelations.com
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