COMPANY OVERVIEW
Kirkstall Ltd, based in York, UK, develops the Quasi Vivo (QV) interconnected multi-organ culture system. Spun out from the University of York, the company provides a modular platform that connects tissue chambers via controlled fluid flow, enabling physiologically relevant multi-organ studies for pharmaceutical ADME-Tox and efficacy testing.
QUASI VIVO PLATFORM
- QV500/600/900: Scalable chamber systems for 1-12 interconnected tissues
- Laminar Flow: Low-shear peristaltic flow maintaining tissue integrity
- Modular Design: Standard chamber format compatible with transwell inserts
- Long-Term Culture: Validated for 28+ day repeat-dose toxicity studies
- Open Architecture: User-selectable tissue combinations and cell sources
KEY APPLICATIONS
- Gut-liver first-pass metabolism for oral drug bioavailability
- Multi-organ ADME studies with interconnected absorption, distribution, metabolism
- Repeat-dose toxicity with chronic exposure conditions
- Tumor-stroma interactions in flowing microenvironment
- Academic research applications across organ physiology
MARKET POSITION
Kirkstall's open-architecture approach differentiates from closed proprietary systems, enabling researchers to use preferred cell sources and customize tissue combinations. The platform is widely adopted in European academic research and increasingly in pharmaceutical early development.