HepaRG? goes digital

Christophe Chesné, CEO, Wepredic and Barry Hardy, CEO, Edelweiss Connect

For many years HepaRG? has provided a valuable liver cell line for research applications. It is truly unique in its ability to produce early hepatic progenitor cells as well as completely mature human hepatocytes. HepaRG? is an immortal cell line with a full array of functions, responses, and regulatory pathways of primary human hepatocytes including the biotransformation enzymes, the formation of bile canaliculi, the potential to express major properties of stem cells and high plasticity. A large community of researchers has developed who use this cell line to investigate mechanisms of liver biology and toxicology. 

HepaRG? has been manufactured and distributed for many years by Biopredic International, now part of Wepredic. We realized in recent years the increasing need for the development of HepaRG? infrastructure and services to keep up with the increasing requirements of the HepaRG? research community and requests from our customers. It became obvious that we needed to go digital to organize the information around the product to provide value-added services including in administration, quality control, data services, and applications. Such a significant endeavor would require investment in a modern knowledge infrastructure organising data and workflows in the cloud combined with services providing value and engagement with the user community. Wepredic decided to partner with Swiss-based Edelweiss Connect to combine their forces and experience in bringing the HepaRG? world of biology into the digital realm. 

We decided together that for the advances with HepaRG? we should consolidate business and scientific processes to operate through a community-accessible web portal supported by a common knowledge infrastructure. This approach also aligns with our vision of building an integrated partnership combining in vitro biology with informatics and modelling for integrated approaches supporting decision making. Our current resource launch on the SaferWorldbyDesign? portal supports the foundational business processes for ordering HepaRG? and related products, customer support, and providing online advice and tutorials to users. We also look forward to the addition of further value-added information resources, activities, services, and applications to the ongoing development of the platform.

HepaRG? cells and recommended media can be purchased through the portal as fully differentiated cells or undifferentiated growth-stage cells. Detailed information on cell culturing best practices and protocols are also provided to better guide users on their work with the cells in the lab. Live video sessions including hands-on lab training and Q&A sessions are also included.

We are delighted that we have made the first steps towards the “HepaRG? going digital” goal and are excited about the new resources that we can now add for users in coming months. We are looking forward to the potential of adding virtual interactions around data-driven services to the excellent biology of HepaRG? which will surely create significant value chain enhancements.

Most importantly, we welcome HepaRG? users and community members to join our interactions on the portal and look forward to supporting individual research goals to the very best of our abilities. 

You can signup and access information on HepaRG? products through the SaferWorldbyDesign? portal:

https://saferworldbydesign.com/saferliver/heparg/