A new approach for studying steatohepatitis in humans with pluripotent stem cell-derived liver organoid system and biophysical analysis of fibrosis

Abstract

Steatohepatitis, marked by inflammation and fibrosis, is a common liver disease that lacks effective drug therapies. Recently we have developed a reproducible method to generate human pluripotent stem cell-derived multi-cellular liver organoids that recapitulate key pathological features of steatohepatitis. Interestingly, measurement with atomic force microscopy revealed that organoid stiffness reflects the fibrosis severity. In this presentation, we will discuss a new human organoid strategy combined with stiffness screening for facilitating drug discovery and drug safety research.