"Next Generation Designer Liver Organoids (DesLO) to Model Complex Human Phenotypes with Precision"

Jeremy Velazquez, a Ph.D. candidate at Arizona State University, has received IFER funding from 2018-2019 for his project, “Next Generation Designer Liver Organoids (DesLO) to Model Complex Human Phenotypes with Precision.” Jeremy's project has the potential to reduce dependence on animal experiments for drug toxicity studies and research pertaining to liver development and disease. It aims to generate patient-specific liver organoid models to study drug metabolism and model liver disease. In this proposal, liver organoids created from human induced pluripotent stem cells will be thoroughly characterized to ensure they are producing the proteins required for proper liver function. The organoids will also be tested to see if they can detect drug toxicity and will be used to examine pathologies associated with the liver to screen for potential therapies.