PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The capacity of the liver to regenerate and maintain a constant size despite injury is unique. However, the exact mechanisms are not completely clear. Cell transplantation has been proposed as an alternative treatment of liver diseases. Recent progress has been reported on the generation of stem/progenitor cells that may differentiate toward the hepatic lineage. However, it is currently difficult to determine which of the stem/progenitor cell populations are the best for therapy of a given disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The limited access to donor human hepatocytes has led to a great interest in the generation of hepatocyte-like cells. Several potential cell sources have been identified. However, general standardization of the methods to evaluate these cells is particularly important for the promise of stem/progenitor-derived hepatocyte-based therapies. Moreover, innovations aimed at improving hepatocyte delivery, survival, and engraftment have recently opened the field of organ engineering that may improve liver repopulation. SUMMARY: Here we review current evidence reported from the perspective of potential clinical applications of different hepatic cell sources with repopulation capacities and the future perspectives and tools that can facilitate the translation of laboratory work into clinical success.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The capacity of the liver to regenerate and maintain a constant size despite injury is unique. However, the exact mechanisms are not completely clear. Cell transplantation has been proposed as an alternative treatment of liver diseases. Recent progress has been reported on the generation of stem/progenitor cells that may differentiate toward the hepatic lineage. However, it is currently difficult to determine which of the stem/progenitor cell populations are the best for therapy of a given disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The limited access to donorhuman hepatocytes has led to a great interest in the generation of hepatocyte-like cells. Several potential cell sources have been identified. However, general standardization of the methods to evaluate these cells is particularly important for the promise of stem/progenitor-derived hepatocyte-based therapies. Moreover, innovations aimed at improving hepatocyte delivery, survival, and engraftment have recently opened the field of organ engineering that may improve liver repopulation. SUMMARY: Here we review current evidence reported from the perspective of potential clinical applications of different hepatic cell sources with repopulation capacities and the future perspectives and tools that can facilitate the translation of laboratory work into clinical success.
Authors: Andrea Schneider; Masoumeh Attaran; Peter N Meier; Christian Strassburg; Michael P Manns; Michael Ott; Marc Barthold; Lubomir Arseniev; Thomas Becker; Bernd Panning Journal: Transplantation Date: 2006-10-27 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Y Y Dan; K J Riehle; C Lazaro; N Teoh; J Haque; J S Campbell; N Fausto Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2006-06-16 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: Wendong Huang; Ke Ma; Jun Zhang; Mohammed Qatanani; James Cuvillier; Jun Liu; Bingning Dong; Xiongfei Huang; David D Moore Journal: Science Date: 2006-04-14 Impact factor: 47.728
Authors: M Muraca; C Ferraresso; M T Vilei; A Granato; M Quarta; E Cozzi; M Rugge; K A Pauwelyn; M Caruso; I Avital; D Inderbitzin; A A Demetriou; S J Forbes; G Realdi Journal: Gut Date: 2007-07-19 Impact factor: 23.059
Authors: Kartik Subramanian; Derek Jason Owens; Timothy D O'Brien; Catherine M Verfaillie; Wei-Shou Hu Journal: Tissue Eng Part A Date: 2011-06-30 Impact factor: 3.845