A promising research is reaping raves as human liver cells have been proven to grow successfully on resorbable scaffolds. Accordingly, the said tissues may be used by doctors for liver transplant. Also, the cells can be temporarily used by an individual suffering from acute liver failure while waiting for the suitable donor.
The head of the the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cell Transplantation, Department of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery at the University Medical Center in Germany, Dr. Joerg-Matthias Pollok simply relates, “Currently isolated liver cells are used for liver cell transplantation, but these cells suffer during cell isolation and cryopreservation, which is one reason there is limited success with this type of transplant procedure.” He also concluded, “Our experimental model represents a promising technique to culture human liver cells and prepare them for transplantation on a biodegradable polymer scaffold into the peritoneal cavity. Further studies are underway to confirm our results and may ultimately offer viable clinical options for liver cell transplantation in the future.”
The findings can be seen in Liver Transplantation, a journal supporting the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
