A Japanese research team has become the first in the world to develop a functional liver from human induced pluripotent stem cells, according to an article the researchers published in the online version of British journal Nature. The team created liver buds and transplanted these into mice suffering from liver failure.
Their survival rate improved markedly after the transplants, said the team led by Yokohama City University Prof. Hideki Taniguchi. No previous studies have successfully generating a three-dimensional functional organ from human pluripotent stem cells, such as iPS cells, which can develop into any tissue, according to the article.
"The liver has strong regenerative ability," said Taniguchi, a 49-year-old transplant surgeon who has long faced a serious shortage of living liver donors. "I think our techniques will become applicable to human patients within 10 years," he said, anticipating a particularly strong impact on the treatment of newborn babies with severe hepatitis.
(Jiji Press)
"The liver has strong regenerative ability," said Taniguchi, a 49-year-old transplant surgeon who has long faced a serious shortage of living liver donors. "I think our techniques will become applicable to human patients within 10 years," he said, anticipating a particularly strong impact on the treatment of newborn babies with severe hepatitis.
(Jiji Press)
