Leah Norona, graduate student in the lab of Dr. Ed LeCluyse at the Hamner Institutes is receiving support from OrganovoTM (ONVO) to pursue her doctoral dissertation aimed at understanding the mode of action underlying fibrogenic chemicals. Leah submitted a proposal outlining the utility of ONVO’s model system with which to clarify the early initiating and adaptive events during chemical-induced fibrosis and the role of the resident cell types in mediating the liver’s response to chronic insult. ONVO is an early stage biotech company which designs and develops multicellular, functional, and structurally relevant 3D human tissue using bio-printing technology. Recently, Leah spent three weeks at ONVO headquartered in San Diego, CA to learn more about the bio-printing process and conducted proof-of-concept studies using their exVive3DTM human liver tissue product. The results from this project will establish and characterize a prototype chemical-induced fibrotic injury response and foster a broader collaborative effort to better understand the impact of chemical exposure on the initiation and progression of liver injury and disease.