SAN DIEGO, Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VivoSim Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIVS) (the “Company” or “VivoSim”), a provider of next-generation New Approach Methodologies (NAM) 3d human cellular models for preclinical safety, today announced plans to develop a rat liver model that will complement its existing NAMkind™ human liver platform and expand the Company’s liver toxicology capabilities.
The new model is designed to address a longstanding challenge in drug development: toxicity observed in rats does not always translate to humans.
VivoSim’s current human liver model is designed to identify human toxicity that may not appear in animal studies. The planned rat model would add the reverse capability, helping sponsors determine when an adverse finding in rats may be species-specific.
“This gives us the ability to look at the same toxicity question from both sides,” said Keith Murphy, Executive Chairman of VivoSim Labs. “If a compound is toxic in rats but not in our human liver model, that additional evidence may help sponsors better understand whether the finding is truly relevant to patients.”
The paired approach is intended to help pharmaceutical companies make more informed decisions about whether to advance, modify or further investigate a drug candidate, while adding human-relevant context to existing animal toxicology findings.
Rat toxicology remains widely used across large pharmaceutical development programs. VivoSim believes the new capability can complement those workflows and extend the commercial utility of its liver toxicology platform.
The Company plans to validate the rat model using compounds with known differences between rat and human liver toxicity.
“Differentiating true human risk from rat-specific liver toxicity is a major issue in preclinical development,” noted Amar Sethi, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of VivoSim Labs. “Providing a side-by-side comparative model allows biopharma partners to protect assets from premature termination while avoiding failure costs. We believe this cross-species capability significantly broadens the market utility of our NAMkind™ platform and accelerates our commercial trajectory.”
VivoSim believes the addition could strengthen the Company’s position in liver toxicology by giving pharmaceutical customers a more complete way to interpret species differences before committing additional time and capital to development.
About VivoSim Labs
VivoSim Labs, Inc. (“VivoSim” and the “Company”), is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology services company that is focused on providing testing of drugs and drug candidates in three-dimensional (“3D”) human tissue models of liver and intestine. The Company offers partners liver and intestinal toxicology insights using its new approach methodologies (“NAM”) models. The Company anticipates accelerated adoption of human tissue models following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) Roadmap to refine animal testing requirements in favor of these non-animal NAM methods. VivoSim Labs operates from San Diego, CA. Visit www.vivosim.ai.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company’s cash on hand, revenue growth guidance and the Company’s progress in marketing contract research services using NAMs models to pharmaceutical companies. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and actual actions or events could differ materially from those contained in such statements. These risks and uncertainties and other factors are identified and described in more detail in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on July 14, 2026, as such risk factors are updated in its most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 12, 2026. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements that the Company may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events, or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact(s):
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info@vivosim.ai
VivoSim Labs, Inc.
