COMPANY OVERVIEW
Altis Biosystems, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, develops the RepliGut platform—a human intestinal stem cell-derived model system. Spun out from the University of North Carolina, the company provides physiologically relevant gut models for drug absorption, microbiome research, and gastrointestinal disease studies.
REPLIGUT PLATFORM
- Stem Cell-Derived: Primary intestinal stem cells from human donors maintaining regenerative capacity
- Monolayer Format: Planar epithelium on transwell for permeability studies (unlike enclosed organoids)
- Regional Specificity: Duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon models available
- Differentiated Cell Types: Enterocytes, goblet cells, enteroendocrine cells, Paneth cells
- Microbiome Compatible: Apical access for bacteria co-culture and host-microbe studies
KEY APPLICATIONS
- Drug permeability and absorption (Papp) studies replacing Caco-2
- GI toxicity assessment for oral drugs
- Microbiome-drug interactions and metabolism
- Inflammatory bowel disease modeling
- Enteric pathogen infection studies
DIFFERENTIATION
Unlike Caco-2 cells (colon cancer-derived with atypical properties) or enclosed organoids (limited apical access), RepliGut provides physiologically relevant primary human intestinal epithelium in a transwell format compatible with standard permeability assays—enabling direct comparison with historical Caco-2 data while providing superior human relevance.