Scientists have created the most complex model of the human liver

Scientists from the Institute of Regenerative Medicine Wake Forest (WFIRM) have developed the most advanced mini-liver to date. It will help scientists better understand some congenital diseases, as well as accelerate the work of growing the liver for transplantation.

“This model best imitates human embryonic development and liver function,” said Shay Soker, PhD, professor of regenerative medicine at WFIRM, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center . "We expect these organelles to improve our understanding of how liver diseases - especially congenital diseases - begin and develop, and help us improve treatment methods."

Soker was the lead scientist in the study, reported in the journal Hepatology.
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The creation of living mini-organs is a new field of engineering that can replace animal models that are not always accurate. Organelles of the liver, made of human cells, have a diameter of less than one third of an inch (7.5 mm). While scientists have already created liver organelles to test for new drugs for toxicity, the liver, developed in this study, represents the first steps in creating a functional model of the development of the human liver.

To grow organelles, scientists sow progenitor cells — immature cells that turn into specialized liver cells — on a small disk from the ferret's liver, which was processed to remove all the cells of an animal. The resulting organoids, grown for two to three weeks, for the first time models the real development of a person’s liver.

The study is significant for two reasons. First, scientists have shown that these organelles generate hepatocytes , the main functional cells of the liver. This achievement is an important milestone in bioengineering of a truly functional liver for transplantation.

Secondly, while other scientists have shown that a liver grown in the laboratory can generate bile ducts, this is the first study showing the gradual maturation of the bile ducts, the same that can be observed during human embryonic development. The bile ducts carry bile , a fluid that is secreted by the liver and is collected in the gallbladder to digest fat. Grown mini-liver can be used to study the atrophy of the bile ducts - a hereditary disease that occurs in infants. In this disease, the excretion of bile is disturbed, leading to death in severe cases.

“Our team has created a laboratory model for the development of the human liver and its diseases, which will improve the understanding of the formation of the bile ducts,” said co-author Pedro Baptista, PhD, who participated in the study.

“This is a big step in bioengineering functional liver and bile ducts, and we look forward to using it to improve human health,” said co-author Diepen Vyas, PhD, who also participated in the study.