Gentest^® Cryopreserved Primary Hepatocytes

Primary hepatocytes are liver cells isolated directly from human or animal tissue and cryopreserved for use in research. They maintain the full range of in vivo liver functions, including drug metabolism, enzyme induction, transporter activity, and bile acid processing. In contrast, immortalized cell lines (such as HepG2 or HepaRG) are engineered to proliferate indefinitely but do not fully replicate the metabolic and transporter functions of fresh liver cells. For studies that require physiologically relevant results—such as ADME/DMPK, toxicity, and induction assays—primary hepatocytes remain the gold standard.

Plateable hepatocytes are cryopreserved primary hepatocytes that can attach and form a monolayer in culture, making them ideal for long-term studies, enzyme induction experiments, and transporter assays. Suspension-grade hepatocytes, by contrast, remain in suspension after thawing and are best suited for short-term experiments such as metabolism, clearance, and drug–drug interaction studies. Both formats retain high metabolic competence but are optimized for different research applications.

Induction-qualified hepatocytes are lots that have been tested and confirmed to respond to known inducers of cytochrome P450 enzymes. This qualification ensures reliable performance in drug–drug interaction (DDI) studies where induction potential must be evaluated. Using induction-qualified hepatocytes reduces variability and increases confidence in regulatory submissions.

Single donor hepatocytes come from one individual and are used when donor-specific data is required, such as pharmacogenomic studies. Pooled hepatocytes combine cells from multiple donors to reduce variability and better represent population-level metabolism. Pooled formats are especially useful for drug clearance predictions and reducing lot-to-lot differences in long-term programs.

Yes. Advances in cryopreservation technology allow cryopreserved hepatocytes to perform comparably to fresh cells in metabolism, transporter, and induction studies. Post-thaw, they retain high viability, plating efficiency, and enzyme activity, making them suitable for both short-term suspension assays and long-term plate-based cultures. Cryopreserved formats also enable reproducibility across studies and global lot availability.

Please refer to the Gentest hepatocytes instruction-for-use for more information.

Yes. Many lots of cryopreserved hepatocytes are compatible with 3D spheroid culture. Please contact our specialist for more information.to better mimic the liver microenvironment. These advanced models are increasingly used for disease modeling, fibrosis research, and long-term toxicity testing.

Primary hepatocytes are widely used in drug discovery and development, particularly for ADME/DMPK assays, metabolic stability testing, and intrinsic clearance studies. They are also essential for drug–drug interaction (DDI) evaluations, transporter studies, and hepatotoxicity assessments. Beyond pharmacology, hepatocytes support applications in gene therapy development, regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and safety assessment of chemicals and biologics.