Drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) is a major challenge in drug discovery research. Traditional animal experiments have low sensitivity, highlighting the need for human-derived in vitro systems with higher predictive capability.

Renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTECs) are useful for DIKI evaluation, but two-dimensional culture models face limitations due to insufficient expression of drug transporters. This time, we introduce the paper "Three-dimensional culture of human proximal tubular epithelial cells for an in vitro evaluation of drug-induced kidney injury," published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Science. In this study, nephrotoxicity testing was conducted using a three-dimensional RPTEC (3D-RPTEC) model created with PrimeSurface^™ 96V plates. The 3D-RPTEC model exhibits drug transporter expression comparable to that of the human renal cortex, and evaluations were conducted using intracellular ATP levels as an indicator. The results confirmed that the nephrotoxicity predictive performance of 3D-RPTEC surpasses that of conventional models and the renal cell line HK-2. This model has been demonstrated to be a valuable tool for DIKI evaluation.

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Launch of "SUMILON^™ Companion Plate for Cell Culture Insert"

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new product, "SUMILON^™ Companion Plate for Cell Culture Insert." This product is compatible with inserts sold by various manufacturers with its step structure on the sidewalls of the wells. Additionally, while conventional procedures for medium exchange were cumbersome, requiring users to lift the insert or insert the tip of a pipette through gaps around the insert, this product features a medium exchange port next to each well, enabling quick and easy medium exchange.