Stem cells allow scientists to grow a human liver in a laboratory
In what is being called a medical breakthrough, scientists have created a small version of a human liver in a laboratory.
The scientists were able to create the human liver by utilizing stem cells. The stem cell is thought to be the master cell which can divide and produce different types of body tissue in certain conditions.
To engineer the liver, the scientists used animal livers that were treated with a mild detergent to remove all cells, leaving only the collagen “skeleton.” After a week in the laboratory bioreactor, the livers seemed to be growing and operating like a normal human organ. The next step in the research is to determine if these bioengineered livers will continue to work after they are transplanted into an animal. Never before have human liver cells been used to create livers in the laboratory.
The team of scientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center presented its research at a conference in Boston. The scientists hope that this approach will be a step forward in liver bioengineering.
“We are excited about the possibilities this research represents,” said Shay Soker, a professor of regenerative medicine and the project director. Dr. Anthony Atala, the director of the institute, also is involved in the research.
“We must stress that we’re at an early stage, and many technical hurdles must be overcome before it could benefit patients,” Soker said.
It is likely to take at least five years before the technology can be applied in hospital but it could save thousands of lives. There are presently approximately 16,000 people waiting for a liver transplant in the U.S. However there are just under 4,000 cadaver donors and only 185 living donors so far this year. In addition to the risk every surgery carries, transplantation also has risks postoperatively, most commonly rejection.
What was the process used in this experiment?