When InSphero acquired DOPPL in January 2026, the goal was not only to expand the portfolio. It was also to bring together complementary expertise and explore what more could be built together.
On one side, DOPPL brought over a decade of experience in patient-derived organoids, powered by its proprietary Gri3D® Technology. These models had already proven their value in highly tailored research projects. On the other side, InSphero contributed more than 17 years of experience in standardized, scalable safety screening - most notably through the 3D InSightTM Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI) Platform, widely recognized as a gold standard in drug discovery.
Fig 1: Together we are stronger, combining expertise of DOPPL and InSphero
But instead of simply combining what already existed, our teams asked a bigger question: How can we turn this scientific strength into something scalable, reproducible, and truly ready for drug discovery needs?
That question became the starting point for the Drug-Induced Gastrointestinal Toxicity (DIGIT) platform.
Starting with gastrointestinal biology
DOPPL’s extensive biobank includes a wide range of tissues: colon, small intestine, stomach, lung, kidney, liver, and various cancer models. Among these, intestinal organoids stood out as one of the most mature and widely used organoid models across previous bespoke studies, ranging from toxicity and efficacy testing to studying the absorption of bioactives.
These patient-derived human intestinal organoids form physiologically relevant “mini-guts,” closely mimicking native intestinal tissue.
Fig 2: Culturing intestinal organoids in Gri3D® plates
Building on this foundation, the team saw a clear opportunity: to bring these organoid models into early drug discovery - not as custom projects, but as a standardized, industry-ready platform for gastrointestinal safety assessment, similar to how liver safety is routinely assessed using DILI screening.
Starting with the problem, not the technology
To make sure the DIGIT platform would truly fit into drug discovery workflows and needs, the teams didn’t start with the technology – they started with the problem.
They engaged closely with key opinion leaders and drew on years of insights from DOPPL’s customer projects. Across these discussions, the same challenges kept coming up:
- Limited predictivity of conventional in vitro models such as Caco-2
- Difficulty integrating complex organoid systems into early discovery workflows
- Lack of standardized, high-throughput solutions with fast turnaround
- Fragmented workflows requiring multiple partners
By addressing these pain points directly, the teams ensured that the DIGIT platform would not just be biologically relevant but also practical, scalable, and usable in industry settings
3D InSight™ DIGIT Platform: Streamlining GI safety assessment
One of the first major outcomes of this integration is the 3D InSight™ Gastrointestinal Toxicology - a standardized, high-throughput screening solution designed to enable early and reliable prediction of gastrointestinal risk.
Fig 3: From drug candidate submission to actionable insights with established DIGIT & DIGITPlus workflow
To get there, the teams focused on four key pillars:
- Human-Relevance: Applying patient-derived intestinal organoids with robust cytotoxicity & functional readouts at the single-organoid level for IC50 determination.
- Standardization: Converting organoid-based assays into an industry-ready, monthly screening service.
- Scalability: Providing high-fidelity single organoid resolution data using automated, high-throughput phenotypic analysis in combination with established readouts such as ATP and LDH, aligned with early discovery timelines.
- Usability: Removing the need for custom setup and fragmented workflows to deliver faster, decision-ready outputs.
The result is a streamlined workflow that allows researchers to move efficiently from compound submission to human-relevant, actionable insights - supporting faster go/no-go decisions in drug candidate selection.
What made it possible
Some integrations take time. This one moved fast within a few months and that was only possible because both teams quickly aligned around a shared goal.
From day one, there was a strong commitment on both sides. The DOPPL team brought deep expertise in intestinal organoid biology and worked to translate it into a standardized workflowwithout losing the scientific depth that makes it valuable. At the same time, the InSphero team brought experience in running high-throughput, standardized screening, adding operational know-how, and a clear path to commercialization. In the end, it wasn’t just good planning – it was teamwork that turned integration into acceleration.
Looking ahead
DIGIT™ represents an important milestone in the integration of DOPPL into InSphero- but it’s only the beginning.
The team continues to expand the platform to strengthen its value as an industry-ready solution further. This includes integrating additional functional readouts such as TEER, as well as introducing cross-species models to support broader translational insights in gastrointestinal safety assessment. In addition, the DIGIT workflow lays the foundation for standardized toxicity assessments using organoid models from other organs such as kidney and lung in the near future.
The goal remains clear: to help drug developers make earlier, more confident decisions using predictive, human-relevant models in pharmacology safety assessments and ultimately bring safer therapies to patients, faster.
