For the first time in history, scientists have been able to restore the function of a seriously damaged liver by transplanting stem cells grown in the laboratory, according to an Internet publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35 Pannochka. net This achievement suggests that in the future, stem cell therapy will in some cases replace liver transplantation.

On the pages of the scientific journal Nature Cell Biology, researchers from the University of Edinburgh (UK) described in detail what happened after the introduction of stem cells into laboratory mice with hepatic impairment.

"In the following months, after cell therapy, the introduced progenitor cells stimulated the regeneration of key liver regions, ensuring a partial restoration of the organ structure and a significant improvement in its functions," write the authors..

In general, the liver is very well restored, because hepatocytes can rapidly multiply, replacing dead cells after disease. Nevertheless, in cases of severe diseases and loss of a significant number of cells, the organ is not always able to regenerate - this can happen with cirrhosis.

Hepatocytes are not easy to grow in the laboratory, which limits their potential for treating liver failure. That is why the British researchers decided to use for this purpose hepatic progenitor cells (hepatic progenitor cells, HPC). The latter are much more convenient to grow, they are able to transform into hepatocytes and other types of liver cells.

Human trials are not far off.

Their brilliant results scientists received on laboratory mice. If they can be replicated during upcoming clinical trials, stem cell therapy in the coming years will replace liver transplantation in a variety of diseases, including cirrhosis.

The lead author of the latest work, Professor Stuart Forbes, a researcher at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, a member of the Medical Research Council (MRC), says: "Before turning over medical practice, we have to conduct comprehensive studies on human hepatocytes, and then on living people. This technology is badly needed by patients with liver failure, which is still one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK and the rest of the world ".

Currently, researchers have been able to achieve results that can not give the best of existing drugs for liver regeneration. In the future, they hope to get even more impressive results, up to the complete restoration of the body.

Funds for the work were provided by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust and the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform.

Recall that these and other sponsors today actively support scientists working on the treatment of stem cells of diseases such as osteoarthritis, Parkinson's disease, etc..

Recently, the publication Medical News Today reported that scientists from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston learned to restore with the help of stem cells lost limbs in rodents. They have already successfully grown in the rat front paws, introducing her progenitor cells (precursors).

medbe. en.