Blog, News and Events

24 July 2026

The PXB-mouse: Humanized Liver Model of HBV infection for Therapeutic Development

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global public health challenge that impacts millions of people worldwide. Chronic HBV infection can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, severe diseases that are difficult to treat. 254 million people are living with chronic HBV and, while an effective vaccine for HBV exists, a further ~1.2 million people acquire the infection annually, especially in areas where healthcare resources are limited. Effective treatment options also exist, but they are not curative. HBV belongs to the hepadnavirus family, and contains a 3.2 kilobase relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA) genome. A hindrance to understanding the biology of HBV and developing therapeutics to cure the disease is the fact that HBV is significantly host restricted, and infection is limited to human and chimpanzee hepatocytes1. Thus, traditional preclinical models, such as mice and rats, that are routinely used in drug development are not suitable for HBV studies.

PXB-mouse, Blog, PXB-cells

1 May 2026

Testing the Efficacy of cccDNA-targeted Base Editing

Nearly 300 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections.1 Chronic HBV causes inflammation and is associated with an increased risk of extensive liver damage and can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma. The traditional therapeutic approach uses antiviral therapies, such as entecavir and tenofovir; while these therapeutics suppress HBV DNA levels they need to be continued long-term as they often do not lead to functional cure. Therefore, novel therapeutics are under development as monotherapies or co-therapy options to achieve functional cure.

PXB-mouse, Blog, PXB-cells

31 March 2026

Primary Human Hepatocytes drive Advances in New Approach Methodologies

New approach methodologies (NAMs) are innovative, non-animal scientific methods used for testing chemical safety, drug development and biological research. In 2025, the FDA announced a new initiative to phase out animal testing for certain types of drug development1. This has led to renewed interest in NAMs and their role in pre-clinical drug development. NAMs include advanced in vitro models such as co-culture models, organ on a chip, 3D bioprinting and tissue models and Microphysiological systems (MPS)

Blog, PXB-cells

24 March 2026

DILI modeling using primary human hepatocytes (PXB-cells)

Hepatocytes form bile canaliculi structures which are formed through tight-junction interactions between neighboring hepatocytes. This interconnected network collects and transports bile components. Interruptions to the bile flow (slowing or stopping) causes a backup of bile and is known as cholestasis. Cholestasis can be a result of intrahepatic complications, including chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatitis, infections, genetic cholestasis, as well as a result from drug-induced liver-injury (DILI).

Blog, PXB-cells

11 March 2026

Exploring the Human Lipoprotein Profile of PXB-mice and PXB-cells

Lipids are important biomolecules that contribute to homeostasis. They can act as energy reserves, are used structurally, and play an important role in metabolic processes including drug metabolism. Lipids complex with proteins resulting in a lipoprotein particle that enables the hydrophobic lipids to be transported throughout the body via the blood stream. Changes in the lipoprotein/lipid profile are associated with diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), atherosclerosis, hypothyroidism, and cardiovascular disease as well as some genetic disorders. As such, therapeutics are being developed to target dyslipidemia.

PXB-mouse, Blog, PXB-cells

27 February 2026

Translational liver disease models designed to suit your research needs

At PhoenixBio, we strive to help improve human health through the broad application of our humanized liver chimeric mouse model, the PXB-mouse. Our chimeric mouse model has a highly humanized liver, with human-specific metabolism pathways and gene expression as well as human-like lipid profiles, making this a relevant model for drug discovery and development projects. While we commercially produce PXB-mice using a single human hepatocyte donor lot, we understand that some research may require different hepatocyte donors, such as donors with specific characteristics (HLA typing or disease state) or even donors from different species (NHPs, humans, or others). Therefore, we offer custom transplantation services with our host mouse (cDNA-uPA/SCID background) which allows researchers to select and test engraftment of a hepatocyte donor that meet their specific research needs. First, we will highlight research that used a hepatocyte donor transplanted by our expert team into host animals for a rare genetic disease, Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency (OTCD).

PXB-mouse, Blog

1 December 2025

Cryopreserved PXB-cells: enhance in vitro drug development with quality primary human hepatocytes

Late-stage drug failures remain a significant challenge in the clinical development process, resulting in financial losses and wasted resources. That’s why having a reliable, physiologically relevant in vitro model is crucial for building confidence in a therapeutic candidate before progressing to in vivo and clinical studies.

Blog, PXB-cells

11 September 2025

Cutting Edge Gene Editing in Primary Human Hepatocytes

Gene editing promises cures for a wide range of diseases. Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) were developed as the first programmable editors in the early 2000s, followed by TALENs (Transcription Activator Like Effector Nucleases) about a decade later[1]. However, it was the discovery and application of easy to use CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing methods, that sparked a flurry of new activity since 2013. New gene editing methods that build on this platform continue to be a hot area of research, with the goal of developing techniques that increase specificity and circumvent the need for double-stranded breaks (DBSs) in order to reduce off-target effects and minimize safety concerns[2]. Moreover, increasing the size of sequences that can be modified, and improving editing efficiency in non-dividing cells are also areas of great interest.

Blog, PXB-cells