Today, I would like to give you a brief introduction into primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), as well as our 3,5-Diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-Dihydrocollidine (DDC) mouse model.

PSC is a rare, chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by biliary inflammation that develops into fibrosis and causes intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic bile duct strictures.These strictures impede bile flow within the ducts and can lead to cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure.  

Ursodeoxycholic acid is a potent treatment that is often prescribed for patients who suffer from PSC, however this drug does not stop the disease progression completely. Therefore, it is essential that new treatments that are able to halt the development of PSC are developed as soon as possible.

Here at SMC, we offer the DDC mouse model as one possible way to test current drug candidates to see if they are truly effective against PSC.

Below are some of the advantages of using the DDC model for developing potential treatments for PSC:

-  develops obstructed bile ducts, brisk ductular proliferation and intense pericholangitis that is associated with ‘onion skin’   

periductal fibrosis

-  has a higher survival rate and disease correlation than the BDL model

-  reproduces major histopathological features observed in human cholestatic liver disease

-  human biomarkers associated with PSC, such as an increase in ALT, AST and bilirubin, can be observed

 If you would like to test your drug candidate in model other than the DDC model, we also have a variety of other fibrotic and inflammatory disease models in addition to the DDC model, and would be happy to use our drug evaluation services to aid you in your drug discovery journey.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or requests.