Hepatocyte stability
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using human hepatocytes for estimating the metabolic stability (CLint) of xenobiological compounds (drugs)
IRAS ID
306273
Contact name
Jane McGuffog
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
BenevolentAI
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
This study uses human liver cells (hepatocytes) obtained from deceased donors to test new drugs. The method used to study how a drug is metabolised by liver cells in the laboratory is called in vitro intrinsic clearance (CLint). CLint is the clearance in the absence of any restricting factors such as blood flow. The data generated from this assay can be used to predict the metabolic clearance in human patients. This aids decision-making during the early drug discovery process as drugs with a favourable clearance profile will be of interest for further development.
Lay Summary of Results:
This study looks at how quickly the body breaks down new drugs using liver cells from human donors. We test these drugs in a lab setting using frozen human liver cells to see how fast the candidate drugs are processed.
This work is important because it helps us predict how long the new drugs will stay in the human body. Scientists can learn if a drug is broken down too quickly (making it less effective) or too slowly (which could cause unwanted side effects).
Understanding how drugs break down in human liver cells can help researchers decide which drugs to develop further. This makes the entire process of creating new medicines safer and more efficient for future patients. It also saves valuable time and resources by focusing efforts on the most promising drugs that are likely to work safely in humans.
BenevolentAI evaluated over 800 compounds in this assay and used the results to select the best drug candidates for further development.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NE/0114
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion