Challenging the Shape of Medical Research and Practice: Organovo

Organovo designs and creates functional human tissues using its proprietary three-dimensional bioprinting technology. With reproducible 3D tissues that accurately represent human biology, it is enabling ground-breaking therapies by partnering with biopharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers to design, build, and validate more predictive in vitro tissues for disease modeling and toxicology. It gives researchers something they have never had before – the opportunity to test drugs on functional human tissues before ever administering the drug to a living person; bridging the gulf between preclinical testing and clinical trials. It is known for creating functional, three-dimensional tissues that can be implanted or delivered into the human body to repair or replace damaged or diseased tissues.

Trademark Technology

Bioprinted Human Tissue: Organovo’s proprietary bioprinting platform captures the unique synergistic potential of engineering and biology to enable the reproducible, automated creation of living human tissues that mimic the form and function of native tissues in the body. Genomics and proteomics have revolutionized research through the creation of highly reproducible tools for studying the genome and proteome.

Its goal is to build living human tissues that are proven to function like native tissues for in vitro and therapeutic applications. Its 3D bioprinted human tissues are constructed with precision from tiny building blocks made of living human cells, using a process that translates tissue-specific geometries and cellular components utilizing the NovoGen Bioprinter^® Platform. These bioprinted tissues share many key features with native tissue, including tissue-like cellular density, presence of multiple cell types, and the development of key architectural and functional features associated with the target native tissue.

Bioprinting Process: Organovo’s bioprinting process centers on the identification of key architectural and compositional elements of the target tissue, and the creation of a design that can be utilized by a bioprinter to generate that tissue in the laboratory environment. Once a tissue design is established, the first step is to develop the bioprocess protocols required to generate the multi-cellular building blocks also called bio-ink from the cells that will be used to build the target tissue.

The bio-ink building blocks are then dispensed from a bioprinter, using a layer-by-layer approach that is scaled for the target output. Bio-inert hydrogel components may be utilized as supports, as tissues are built up vertically to achieve three-dimensionality, or as fillers to create channels or void spaces within tissues to mimic features of native tissue.

The bioprinting process can be tailored to produce tissues in a variety of formats, from micro-scale tissues contained in standard multi-well tissue culture plates, to larger structures suitable for placement onto bioreactors for biomechanical conditioning prior to use.

Services

ExVive™ Human Tissue Models & Services for Research: Organovo’s Bioprinted Human Tissue Models are multi-cellular, dynamic, and functional 3D human tissue models for preclinical testing and drug discovery research. Created using a proprietary 3D bioprinting process, the tissues remain viable and dynamic for an extended time in vitro and exhibit key architectural and functional features that mimic key aspects of the natural 3D tissue environment. Biochemical, genomic, proteomic and unique histologic endpoints can be assessed over time.

ExVive™ 3D Bioprinted Human Tissues enable the capture of human tissue-specific data to support better predictive outcomes, de-risking total development time and resources.

• Preclinical in Vitro Testing Services:Organovo offers preclinical in vitro testing services utilizing ExVive™ 3D Bioprinted Liver Tissue Models. Testing will be performed and coordinated by experienced staff at Organovo’s testing laboratories
• Custom ExVive™ 3D Bioprinted Tissue Models: Compositionally- and architecturally-defined living human tissues are compelling tools for understanding the effects of a particular pathogen or treatment, enabling scientists to interpret traditional biochemical or genetic data in a context that more closely approximates the in vivo environment. Organovo entertains the creation of 3D tissues customized to clients’ research needs

3D human tissues for medical research & therapeutics: Organovo believes that engineered tissues will someday be a routine source of therapy for patients with damaged or diseased tissue. Today, the company is working, both internally and with selected partners, to fulfillits vision of building human tissues for surgical therapy and transplantation. The flexibility of its tissue engineering technology and its proven application across a wide variety of cells allows the company to target many different tissues. The cell source can be either allogeneic or autologous (using the patient’s own cells), which could allow the company to avoid transplant rejection and the need for life-long immunosuppressant drugs.

Meet the Leader

Taylor J. Crouch, CEO, and President: Crouch has been Organovo’s CEO and President since 2017 and has over 25 years of experience building and leading technology, expertise and product-based companies in the life sciences and biotech industries. Prior to Organovo, for more than seven years, he managed and served as an operational investor in a group of leading clinical research site companies. Specifically, Crouch served as Chief Executive Officer at eStudySite, a position he held from January 2009 to June 2016; as Executive Chairman of Meridien Research from December 2013 to September 2016, and as a Director of the National Research Institute from September 2011 through July 2016. Prior to this, Crouch served as Senior Vice President of Operations/President International at Ligand Pharmaceuticals from 2005 to 2007, with responsibilities for new business development, technical operations, international sales, and clinical research. Prior to Ligand, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Partners International.

Crouch holds a BSE in chemical engineering, cum laude, from Princeton University and an MBA in international marketing and finance from the University of Chicago.

“Our goal is to build living human tissues that are proven to function like native tissues.”