The RAFTTM System allows for the creation of tissue-like structures. The 3D matrix of the type 1 collagen-based RAFTTM Culture provides a more natural cell culture environment and therefore a potentially superior model for in vitro screening. In a recent study, we compare cell viability and cell morphology of rat and human hepatocytes, and the maintenance of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity in human hepatocytes grown in the traditional Sandwich Model with that of cells cultured in the 3D RAFTTM System. Our results show that the RAFTTM 3D System represents a robust model for the long-term maintenance of liver-specific functions. View our recent work describing how to use hepatocytes and RAFTTM System together to generate a long-term culture system.
Additionally, non-parenchymal cells can also be used to better represent normal liver physiology. For example, co-cultures using hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, Stellate cells, and liver endothelial cells are already showing to be powerful tools for modeling the liver in vitro. This is because it is thought that under both normal and pathological conditions, many hepatocyte functions are regulated by substances released from neighboring non-parenchymal cells. These cells play an important role in the modulation of xenobiotic metabolism in the liver and provide more comparable data for diseased and healthy cells.