Laboratory livers

Scientists hope to end the shortage of livers available for transplantation after growing a miniature human liver on a collagen skeleton from an animal liver in the laboratory for the first time.

A team from Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre stripped an animal liver of its cells and replaced them with progenitors – immature liver cells – and endothelial cells.

It was provided with a constant flow of nutrients and oxygen in a bioreactor and within a week, the scientists noted progressive formation of human liver cells – plus liver-associated function – and widespread cell growth inside the bioengineered organ.

“We are excited about the possibilities this research represents, but must stress that we’re at an early stage and many technical hurdles must be overcome before it could benefit patients,” said project director Shay Soker, “Not only must we learn how to grow billions of liver cells at one time in order to engineer livers large enough for patients but we must determine whether these organs are safe to use in patients.”

The research aims to provide a solution to the shortage of donor livers available for patients who need transplants. “Our hope is that once these organs are transplanted, they will maintain and gain function as they continue to develop,” said Pedro Baptista, lead author.

The bioengineered livers could also closely mimic drug metabolism in the human liver – something difficult to reproduce in animal models – and be used to evaluate the safety of new drugs.

The scientist believe this approach could be useful for growing organs such as the kidney and pancreas, and are now working n these projects – as well as many other tissues and organs – to develop cell therapies to restore organ function.