Hi Plough, I know what you mean. I guess that ann means that...

Hi Plough, I know what you mean. I guess that ann means that they need to expose the two glycos to the enzymes inside those cells to see how they react. From what I can tell hepatocytes are liver cells. I guess it is a good thing if it doesnt enter normal liver cells. As I recall the mild/reversable side effect they saw in the phase1 trial was raised liver enzymes. Todays ann said they were testing for compounds that break down the drug, so I guess those compounds are bound to be in those liver cells. Just guessing though. How long could it take to splash a little enzyme onto a few cells?

"Hepatocytes are the chief functional cells of the liver and perform an astonishing number of metabolic, endocrine and secretory functions. Roughly 80% of the mass of the liver is contributed by hepatocytes.

In three dimensions, hepatocytes are arranged in plates that anastomose with one another. The cells are polygonal in shape and their sides can be in contact either with sinusoids (sinusoidal face) or neighboring hepatocytes (lateral faces). A portion of the lateral faces of hepatocytes is modified to form bile canaliculi. Microvilli are present abundantly on the sinusoidal face and project sparsely into bile canaliculi.

Hepatocyte nuclei are distinctly round, with one or two prominent nucleol"

More: http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/liver/histo_hcytes.html