For the first time, scientists have restored organ function in a severely damaged liver in a live animal by transplanting lab-grown stem cells. The achievement brings closer the day when cell-based therapies that regenerate the organ replace the need for liver transplants.

Over the ensuing months, the cells spurred major areas of the liver to regrow, improving the structure and function of the animals' organs.

The liver is generally very good at healing itself. This is because it contains cells called hepatocytes that are capable of self-renewal following injury. However, these cells are less capable of self-renewal following severe injury, such as that caused by conditions like cirrhosis and acute liver failure.

That is why the team decided to find out whether liver stem cells - called hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) - can regenerate liver tissue.

Senior author Stuart Forbes, a professor in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, notes:

"It will be some time before we can turn this into reality as we will first need to test our approach using human cells. This is much needed as liver disease is a very common cause of death and disability for patients in the UK and the rest of the world."

In the longer term, the researchers hope to achieve the same results by using drugs that stimulate stem cells inside the patient to regenerate the damaged liver.

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The above story is reprinted with permission of MNT.