Autologous Organoid‐T Cell Co‐Culture Platform for Modeling of Immune‐Mediated Drug‐Induced Liver Injury
Modeling adaptive immune responses in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived liver systems remains a critical barrier for studying immune-mediated hepatic diseases, including idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI). Conventional hepatotoxicity models lack the components required to capture patient-specific, T cell-mediated injury. Here, a scalable and matrix-free human liver organoid (HLO) microarray platform is presented that enables controlled co-culture of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-genotyped, iPSC-derived HLOs with autologous CD8⁺ T cells. This immune-competent system supports antigen-specific T cell activation and reproduces cytotoxic effector responses in a genetically defined context. As a proof-of-concept, the platform models clinically relevant iDILI caused by flucloxacillin in HLA-B*57:01 carriers, recapitulating CD8⁺ T cell proliferation, hepatocyte apoptosis, and variability in immune responses across donors. The system captures hallmark features of adaptive immune-mediated hepatotoxicity, including secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and Granzyme B, and cytokeratin-18 release from injured hepatocytes. By linking genetic susceptibility with functional immune outcomes, this platform provides a modular and scalable approach for evaluating immune-mediated toxicities. The method offers broad utility for mechanistic studies of drug hypersensitivity, immune-related adverse events, and preclinical safety assessment in support of precision medicine.
Authors
- Riccardo Barrile (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7301-3959)
- Sina Dadgar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5983-3512)
- Fadoua El Abdellaoui Soussi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7376-229X)
- Takanori Takebe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6989-3041)
- Michael Brusilovsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4098-5724)
- Elizabeth Buck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6022-1871)
- Adrian Roth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3164-3300)
- Aaron Fullerton
- W. Clark Bacon
- Magdalena Kasendra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6376-2489)
- Victoria Marsh Durban
- Michael A. Helmrath
Institutions
- Roche (Switzerland) (CH)
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
- Genesys (United States) (US)
- Molecular Devices (United Kingdom) (GB)
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- University of Cincinnati Medical Center (US)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2025-09-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202508584
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Liver physiology and pathology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.29
Funders
- Farmer Family Foundation