Optimized Culture Systems for Human Hepatocytes

The combined goal of phases I and II is develop optimized cultures of normal human hepatocytes thatmaintain high levels of expression of liver-specific biochemical and metabolic properties for a suffused as an effective model system for the human liver. Expression of cytochrome p450 isoenzymes andalbumin will be used as representative liver-specific markers during initial development, with otherI will examine diverse variables currently believed to influence retention of liver- specific properseverely limiting aspects of non-optimized serum-free cultures that will serve as a starting point.adjustment toward optimal values will also be initiated for the most critical components. The adjustcontinue during phase II, with the goal of optimizing as many as possible of the variables that inflexpression, while also making all aspects of the culture system as simple, stable and reliable as ca