Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine
Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine
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Precision-cut Liver Slices

A human 3D liver tissue platform enabling translational studies of liver disease, drug response, and toxicity with high physiological relevance.

© Fraunhofer ITEM

Platform Technology: Precision-cut Liver Slices

At Fraunhofer ITEM, we apply organomimetic human precision-cut liver slice (PCLiS) technology as an advanced 3D platform for translational research in hepatology and preclinical drug development. Generated from patient donor livers, PCLiS preserve the native liver architecture and functionality, including metabolic capacity and immunocompetence, enabling physiologically relevant investigations that go beyond conventional 2D cell cultures.

 

Ultrathin liver slices (250–350 µm) maintain the complex multicellular composition of the liver and allow in-depth analyses of pathological, pharmacological, and toxicological processes. This makes PCLiS a powerful tool for studying disease mechanisms, drug responses, and tissue injury as well as regeneration and repair.

Key features of the PCLiS platform include:

  • Ex vivo preservation of native tissue architecture and cell–cell interactions
  • Functional metabolism and immune responsiveness
  • High translational relevance using human donor material
  • Compatibility with pharmacological and toxicological assessments

How to benefit from PCLiS at Fraunhofer ITEM

© Fraunhofer ITEM

Advanced Research Capabilities

Our established human precision-cut liver slice (PCLiS) platform enables in-depth investigation of liver diseases, with a particular focus on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

Physiologically relevant human tissue model

PCLiS offer a highly physiologically relevant alternative to conventional cell cultures by preserving native tissue architecture and sustained immunocompetence, enabling more accurate predictions of drug metabolism and liver function.

Tailored research solutions

We provide customized research strategies aligned with your specific scientific and development goals. Through close collaboration, we address complex research questions and deliver results tailored to your project objectives.

Strong interdisciplinary expertise

Our team brings together clinical expertise, pharmacology, data science and molecular biology. This interdisciplinary approach enables us to tackle complex liver disease mechanisms and develop innovative, translational solutions.

Accelerated drug development

By leveraging PCLiS, we support efficient decision-making in drug discovery and development. Early insights into hepatic efficacy and toxicity help reduce development risks and accelerate the path towards clinical translation.

Learn more about our preclinical research

Diseases

 
Our human, disease-relevant models for respiratory diseases:
 

Fibrosis

Asthma

COPD

Airway infection

Cancer

Technologies


Predictive platform technologies for safety and efficacy testing: 
 

Precision-cut Lung Slices (PCLS)

Inhalation Toxicology

Isolated perfused rat lung (IPL) for absorption kinetics studies

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling (PBPK)

P.R.I.T.®-Expo-System: In-vitro testing of airborne substances

»iMacroMAT«: iPSC-derived macrophages for pyrogen testing

Related applications

Our work with precision-cut liver slices (PCLiS) builds on more than 20 years of experience in precision-cut lung slices (PCLS). This long-standing expertise is reflected in over 70 peer-reviewed publications and provides a strong scientific and methodological foundation for our liver slice research.

By transferring established slice-based technologies, analytical workflows, and translational approaches from lung to liver tissue, we ensure robust, reproducible, and highly relevant human tissue models for biomedical research and drug development.