MEDFORD, Mass., Feb. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hepregen Corporation, leader in the development of next generation HepatoPacTM and HepatoMuneTM cell-based in vitro assay products, announced today the publication of three scientific papers that demonstrate the unique utility of the Company's HepatoPacTM products for predicting and understanding metabolic and cell transport pathways in both humans and rats, the latter being an important animal model often used for preclinical pharmaceutical development. The papers were published independently by researchers based at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals U.S. research facility located in Ridgeway, Connecticut. They presented data that clearly demonstrated the high correlation of in vitro data with outcomes seen in preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials of the anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV)-directed drug, faldaprevir. These findings included determining the metabolic fate of the drug, identification of two key metabolites, their excretion pathway, and mechanisms of metabolism and transport of metabolites into the bile canaliculi.
Jack McGeehan, Hepregen's Vice President of Operations, stated, "These elegant studies provide more evidence of the real utility of Hepregen's micro-patterned co-culture model. Our HepatoPacTM products provide an accurate in vitro surrogate for human liver activity due to the stabilized mature hepatocytes, fully functional for weeks, mimicking precisely the activity of their counterparts in the liver."
Dr. Vincent Zurawski, Hepregen's Chief Executive Officer added, "These new studies provide strong evidence of the capabilities of the HepatoPacTM platform, adding to the substantive and growing set of peer-reviewed publications that distinguish Hepregen's products from the competition."
References
Yongmei Li, Jin Zhou, Diane Ramsden, Mitchell E. Taub, Drané O'Brien,Jun Xu, Carl A. Busacca, Nina Gonnella, and Donald J. Tweedie
Enzyme-Transporter Interplay in the Formation and Clearance of Abundant Metabolites of Faldaprevir Found in Excreta but not in Circulation
Drug Metab Dispos March 2014 42:384-393
Diane Ramsden, Donald J. Tweedie, Tom S. Chan, Mitchell E. Taub,and Yongmei Li
Bridging In Vitro and In Vivo Metabolism and Transport of Faldaprevir in Human Using a Novel Cocultured Human Hepatocyte System, HepatoPac
Drug Metab Dispos March 2014 42:394-406
Diane Ramsden, Donald J. Tweedie, Roger St. George, Lin-Zhi Chen,and Yongmei Li
Generating an In Vitro–In Vivo Correlation for Metabolism and Liver Enrichment of a Hepatitis C Virus Drug, Faldaprevir, Using a Rat Hepatocyte Model (HepatoPac)
Drug Metab Dispos March 2014 42:407-414
About Hepregen Corporation
Hepregen Corporation is the undisputed leader in innovating unique and proprietary bioengineered micro- liver platforms for use in environmental testing, preventive care, and product development in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, diagnostic, cosmetics, and chemical industries. The Company's micro-liver HepatoPacTM and HepatoMuneTM cell-based assays are driving a paradigm shift in drug development. The utility of Hepregen's human, rat, monkey, dog, and multi-species/multi-donor
HepatoPacTM and HepatoMuneTM products has been validated in collaboration with investigators at several well-known pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, new applications for these products are being tested by Hepregen, its pharmaceutical company customers, and its academic and business partners. Hepregen was founded and capitalized by Battelle Ventures with technology licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The technology was developed by Professor Sangeeta Bhatia, who is a world renowned expert and leader in liver bioengineering for life science and therapeutic applications.