New cell suggests liver regeneration without graft

Scientists are discovering a cell in the liver that can help the organ regenerate. can reduce the need for transplants

Liver transplants may soon be overwhelmed.

Researchers at King's College London have used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify a cell type that can regenerate liver tissue by treating liver failure without the need for a transplant.

In an article published today in Nature CommunicationsScientists have identified a new cell type called hepatobiliary hybrid progenitor (HHyP), which forms during our early development in the uterus. Surprisingly, HHyP also persists in small amounts in the adult and these cells can grow in the two major types of adult liver cells (hepatocytes and cholangiocytes), conferring on the properties of the HHyP stem cell.

The team looked at HHyP and found that they looked like mouse stem cells that repair the liver of mice quickly following a serious injury, such as cirrhosis.

"For the first time, we have found that cells with true stem cell-like properties may well exist in the human liver. This in turn could provide a wide range of regenerative medicine applications to treat liver diseases, including the possibility of circumventing the need for liver transplants. "

Dr. Tamir Rashid, lead author of the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King's College, London, said, "For the first time, we have discovered that cells with true stem cell-like properties could exist in the human liver. This in turn could provide a wide range of regenerative medicine applications to treat liver diseases, including the possibility of circumventing the need for liver transplants. "

Liver disease is the fifth leading cause of death in the UK and the third leading cause of premature death and the number of cases continues to rise. Some estimates suggest that 4 to 9 people in every 1,000 Indians suffer from serious liver disease. It can be caused by lifestyle issues such as obesity, viruses, alcohol abuse or by non-lifestyle issues such as autoimmune diseases and to genetic mediation.

Jaundice, itching and feeling of weakness and fatigue and, in more severe cases, cirrhosis are the symptoms of liver disease. The only treatment currently available for severe liver diseases is a liver transplant, which can lead to a lifetime of complications and for which the need for donor organs greatly exceeds the increasing demands.

"Now we have to work quickly to find the recipe for converting pluripotent stem cells into HHyP so that we can transplant these cells to patients at will. In the longer term, we will also work to see if we can reprogram HHyP in the body using traditional pharmacological drugs to repair diseased livers without cell or organ transplantation, "said Dr. Rashid.