Hello R&D sets out to eliminate liver toxicity
Liver toxicity is the number one reason for drugs to be retracted from the market. More reliable methods for predicting drug- induced liver toxicity will not only save drug development costs by detecting liver toxic drugs earlier, but will also spare patients from potential severe side effects due to liver toxicity.
Hello R&D sets out to provide just that and builds on a proprietary method for the generation of hepatocyte-like liver organoids (HeLLOs). In contrast to other in vitro liver modelling methods, HeLLOs show a stable expression of drug metabolizing enzymes and maintain other liver functionalities. Initial results demonstrate an increased sensitivity to predicting liver toxicity in humans compared to the standard methods of using primary hepatocytes or liver tumor lines in 2D culture or as spheroids.
Hello R&D aims to scale and standardize their liver toxicity screening platform, so they can offer their technology to drug developers. In parallel, the HeLLOs are being investigated as a potential cell therapy for patients in need for a liver transplant.
Indi Joore and Ibrahim Ardisasmita are the driving forces behind hello R&D, the soon-to-be- established spinoff company of University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) which aims to change the way drugs are screened for liver toxicity. They have worked for years in the research group of Prof. Sabine Fuchs, starting their master internships together and are now both in their final stages of their PhD. While Indi focused on gene editing strategies in metabolic diseases, Ibrahim worked on the in vitro modelling of liver tissues. This lay the groundwork of hello R&D’s story. We visited them to talk about their path in entrepreneurship, the new insights and their hopes for the future.
I N D I :
“We were lab buddies working on different projects, but at some point, Ibrahim generated some results that were very promising which led to a very close collaboration. Ibrahim managed to culture 3D liver tissues from donor tissue with much better functionality than existing 3D liver cultures. With current methods, liver tissues lose their liver-like properties in culture. Cells for instance lose their ability to perform certain metabolic functions, which makes liver models unreliable. Hello R&D protocols have made a big step in capturing liver functionalities in an in vitro model.’’
I B R A H I M ADDS:
“Initially, we were just trying to improve an organoid-based liver model that didn’t work well. Our goal was to bring it to a stage where we could model diseases more effectively. Starting a company wasn’t even on our radar at first. The big shift happened when Sabine encouraged us to explore patenting technology. That was when we started seeing commercial potential. We got in touch with the university's holding and realized: this might actually be patentable.”
I N D I :
“Then we joined the Eureka Mega Challenge. Back then, we had no idea what we were doing — we completely bluffed our way through the first interview. But that experience pushed us to formulate a rough business idea, and that’s when the real journey began. We started our full-on collaboration— sometimes I talk more with my co-founder than with my girlfriend!”
After some questioning, both laughed and admitted they had actually won the Eureka Mega Challenge. Taking part in the competition marked the beginning of their journey into entrepreneurship, helping them articulate the value of their technology platform. In the months after this first success, Ibrahim and Indi entered the Venture Challenge – which they again won – secured a TTT voucher from RegMed XB and worked with Utrecht Holdings toward setting up a startup. Though from the outside the hello R&D story seems like a string of successes, the founding duo went through a steep learning curve with plenty of challenges.
I B R A H I M :
“When we were working on the patent, we thought we could directly license it out to an existing company. It felt like we didn’t have enough to build a company around. But as we were exposed to entrepreneurship programs like the Venture Challenge and the TTT program, we were pushed to build a business case and a company ourselves. So we shifted gears and explored where we could create real value — eventually landing on liver toxicity screening.
In science, you often think that creating a new method is the value. But in entrepreneurship, the value comes from solving real problems for real users. That’s a major shift. We learned a lot from interacting with the ecosystem while building our business case. This past year has been one big learning experience. Along the way we ran into new challenges where we needed specific support. Things we did not really consider at the start.’’
I N D I ADDS:
“We realized that we were the ones who understood the tech deeply. If someone else tried to commercialize it, they wouldn’t be able to realize its full potential. The value isn’t just in the technology — it’s in how you apply it. We really went through a mindset shift. As scientists, we often assume what we find important is what others will find important. But customers have very different needs. Thinking from their perspective was a huge step for us.
We needed support on specific IP questions and legal advice in the negotiations with Utrecht Holdings on setting up a company. Looking at the subsidy instruments for valorization, almost everything is focused on either product development or market research. The TTT voucher we received from RegMed XB helped us get this essential support on board so we could move forward.”
V I S I O N A N D A M B I T I O N S
Ibrahim: “We want to eliminate or significantly reduce liver toxicity caused by chemicals — whether that’s drugs, pesticides, or food additives. Particularly, we aim to improve liver toxicity prediction by providing detailed mechanistic insights while accounting for differences between individual patients. Right now, most drugs are tested on limited population groups. There are huge gaps in how different people respond to chemicals. Our model can help predict those differences between populations. There’s quite some competition, especially in hepatotoxicity testing. Many companies offer solutions to predict liver toxicity. What our platform makes different is that we don't just predict if a compound is toxic— we can pinpoint the mechanism behind the toxicity. That kind of mechanistic insight, allows drug developers to actually modify their compounds to avoid toxicity.”
N E X T S T E P S
Indi: “For now we are focusing on raising initial investments. We’re already in talks with several parties. Investors not only bring funding — they also push you to refine your business case. That critical feedback is really valuable. We hope to have completed our investment round by the end of the year. With that, we can set up our own lab and office. In 2025, we aim to have our first revenue in — from both an agrochemical consortium and a pharma client and two of our eight assays fully marketed.“ Hello R&D was supported by a voucher from the RegMed XB & DCVA TTT program. We are excited to find out what Indi and Ibrahim will achieve in the coming years with their promising platform.
If there's an investor out there who’s interested in working with a disruptive service company tackling key challenges in liver toxicity — they are always open to a conversation.
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