Tissue Engineering of the
Liver
Presentation By:
Cara Nunez
Background Information
Over 6,500 liver transplants are performed annually in
the U.S.
There are currently 17,000 children and adults in the
United States approved for a liver transplant and
waiting for a donor liver
No noticeable increase in liver donors
Problem Being Solved
Most patients in need of a liver transplant suffer from
chronic conditions
Hepatitis (swelling of the liver) and Cirrhosis (permanent
scarring of the liver)
can lead to Acute Liver Failure
Many other causes of liver failure
Ingestion of too many toxins (alcohol)
Communicable diseases
Some chemotherapy medications
Signs of liver failure: jaundice, dark urine, abdominal
swelling, excessive fatigue
Current Treatment
The first human liver transplant was performed by
Thomas Starzyl in 1963
Transplantation is now the preferred treatment for a
failing/failed liver
It is also possible to transplant just a piece of liver as
an allograft
Most transplants are done for patients with chronic
liver diseases leading to cirrhosis
Current Technology (Cont.)
Seeding liver cells onto an extracellular matrix
(scaffold) made of porous biodegradable materials
This seeded shell is placed in either a static or dynamic
bioreactor in which the cells might grow, proliferate
and hopefully differentiate
Most ex vivo livers are currently used for researching
the functions of liver cells themselves
Limitations
Not everything is known yet about how the liver works
How cells differentiate and organize themselves
What factors might help stimulate “natural” liver growth
Liver has high cell density
Liver contains specific cell sub-populations that are hard to
artificially reproduce
Also difficult to artificially reproduce tiny capillaries, ducts, and
pores
Future
More highly developed scaffolds that incorporate the
micro structures within the liver
Complete production of functional human livers
Increased availability and affordability
References
"Liver." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver>.
Glenn, M.D., Ph.D., Jeffery S. "Center for Hepatitis and Liver Tissue
Engineering." Institute for Immunity Transplantation and Infection. Stanford
School of Medicine. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
<http://iti.stanford.edu/research/hepatitis-liver.html>.
Reis, R., E. Chiellini, and N. Ashammakhi, eds. "Bioreactors for Liver Tissue
Engineering." Topics in Tissue Engineering 3 (2007): 1-20. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.oulu.fi/spareparts/ebook_topics_in_t_e_vol3/abstracts/catapa
no_01.pdf>.
Smith, Molly K., and David J. Mooney. "Biomaterials in Liver Tissue
Engineering." The Journal of Regenerative Medicine 1.5 (2000): 65-73. Print.
Van Winterswijk, Peter J., and Erik Nout. "Tissue Engineering and Wound
Healing: An Overview: History of Tissue Engineering." 18 Oct. 2007. Web. 24
Nov. 2012. <http://www.woundsresearch.com/article/7895>.