The University of Pittsburgh TraCe (Pitt-TraCe) proposal is rooted in strong expertise and experience in large
program Administration, management of Resources and early steps toward Qualification of Drug Development
Tools (DDTs). The Pitt-TraCe proposal addresses multiple Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs that will
expand the FDA’s ability to progress regulatory science and decision-making capabilities using our extensive
expertise and experience. The overall goal of the Pitt-TraCe proposal is to qualify our patient-derived structured,
biomimetic liver Microphysiology Systems (MPS) platform in 4 contexts of use (CoUs) as DDTs that are being
made commercially available. To reach this goal, the Pitt-TraCe includes strong administrative, MPS resources
and qualification sections to accelerate the translational application of our liver MPS for specific CoUs. We will
qualify our externally validated, structured, biomimetic liver MPS that recapitulates critical liver structures and
functions with 4 liver cell types mimicking the liver acinus as DDTs. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived
liver cells from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center Fatty Liver, Obesity, and Wellness Clinic (UPMC FLOW Clinic) that exhibit heterogeneity based on
genetics, environment, and lifestyle will be used to define the role of patient heterogeneity in drug discovery,
development, and clinical trials. NAFLD patient-derived liver MPS will serve as the disease background for
developing the DDTs since this heterogeneous and progressive disease impacts >25% of the world population.
This is a critical platform to define mechanisms of action (MOA) in the liver MPS in medium throughput to
complement other high throughput, but simpler liver MPS for other CoU applications. We will qualify 4 CoU liver
MPS that can be applied as DDTs including 1) quantifying hepatic clearance and identifying major metabolites;
2) quantifying liver toxicity; 3) drug testing for safety and efficacy; and 4) selecting clinical trial cohorts.
Collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will yield materials including cells, media, and
reagents critical for the qualification of the DDTs. Through a collaborative effort with Nortis Inc. and BioSystics,
Inc., we will implement a medium throughput, high content and automated platform called the Automated
Biomimetic Analytic MPS (ABAMPS) platform. The ABAMPS platform will deliver a more efficient and accurate
use of structured, biomimetic MPS for MOA studies that will result in commercially available, FDA qualified DDTs.
