BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Metabolically, man or mouse

August 4, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

Massachusetts researchers have created mice withhuman ectopic artificial livers that were used to evaluate human drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions and drug-induced liver injuryin a proof-of-principle study.1 Unlike animal models that are currently under development for monitoring liver toxicity, the new mice are healthy and immunocompetent, which might give a better picture of outcomes in humans.

The artificial livers consist of a porous...