“Scar-in-a-jar”: an in vitro assay to quantify key markers of fibrosis

After an injury or wound, excess fibrous connective tissue can develop as part of the repair response. This is fibrosis. This excess scar tissue development is irreversible and is characteristic of many disease phenotypes. Therefore, developing anti-fibrotic agents is an important medical goal.  

High throughput and quantitative in vitro assays for the development of anti-fibrotic agents is of high value to drug discovery. Following promising results from a recent publication, Domainex has confirmed that stimulating human fibroblasts with transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) increases hallmarks of fibrosis in a “scar-in-a-jar” model system.  

The assay is a robust disease relevant readout, with use in medium throughput compound profiling and adaptability to model fibrosis in different tissues.  

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