Scientists generate functional human tissue-engineered liver

Scientists have brought the prospect of lab-grown replacement livers a step closer by successfully generating functional human and mouse tissue-engineered liver (TELi).
Both the human and mouse livers were successfully grown in mice, raising hopes that in the future replacement organs could be grown from human patients’ own cells.
The TELi was created by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles using liver organoid units – tiny, functioning versions of the complete organ – that were developed from both human and mice adult stem cells and progenitor cells. These were then implanted into mouse models with a biodegradable scaffold to help them grow.
Both the human and mice liver organoid units successfully developed into TELi, complete with the key cell types required for successful liver function. This included bile ducts, blood vessels, hepatocytes (liver cells), stellate cells and endothelial cells, although these were organised differently to a natural liver, making the research a significant step towards growing complete human livers.

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