Liver Transplant Research: Skin Cells Transformed Into Liver Cells Could Save Lives, Scientists Say
Skin Cells Transformed Into Liver Cells Could Save Lives
PA/The Huffington Post UK
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Scientists have transformed human skin cells into fully functioning liver cells with "extremely promising" therapeutic potential.
Transplanted into laboratory mice with liver failure, the cells matured and multiplied over a period of nine months.
In future they could form the basis of personalised treatments for patients who might otherwise need a liver transplant.
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Earlier attempts to produce liver cells from artificially created stem cells have proved disappointing.
Generally, once implanted into existing liver tissue the cells have not tended to survive.
The new research involved a two-stage process of transforming skin cells in the laboratory before transplanting them.
First, the cells were genetically reprogrammed back to an intermediate "endoderm" stage of development using a cocktail of genes and chemical compounds.
Story continues below the slideshow:
How To Keep Your Liver Healthy
Balance That Diet(01 of16)
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"The liver likes a balanced diet, just like the rest of your body," explains Dr. Nancy Reau, vice president of the American Liver Foundation's Board of Directors. She notes that an extreme elimination diet is generally not good for your system, and any benefit it may give you disappears once you go back to eating regularly. For the liver (as well as the rest of your body), look to high-fibre vegetables and lean proteins. (credit:Shutterstock)
Get Some Exercise(02 of16)
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Exercise not only makes you look good on the outside, but it is hugely beneficial to your organs as well. "Exercise builds muscle, which produces anti-inflammatory signals," notes Dr. Reau. In addition, muscle helps to clear toxins from your system, and performing weight bearing exercise regularly prevents osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis). (credit:Shutterstock)
Keep The Drinking To A Minimum(03 of16)
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While some alcohol use can be beneficial for your health in moderation, binge drinking is definitely costly and dangerous. As is well known, regular heavy alcohol use can lead to permanent liver damage, as well as other health problems. If you have indulged too much, drinking a lot of water is your best solution to get back on track. Coffee, meanwhile, has also been linked to reducing cirrhosis (particularly alcoholic cirrhosis), so don't fear the java. (credit:Shutterstock)
Avoid Supplements(04 of16)
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"A well-balanced diet is much safer than adding additional nutrients into your system," says Dr. Reau. Some dietary supplements have been linked to liver damage, as the New York Times reported last year. (credit:Shutterstock)
Juice Cautiously(05 of16)
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Dr. Reau readily notes that juicing can be an easy way to add fruits and vegetables into your diet, but points out that it can take some of the fibre out of the food, reducing the nutritional value. As well, some concentrated drinks can be higher in calories than you might expect, so you'll want to account for those in a balanced diet. (credit:Shutterstock)
Don't Cleanse(06 of16)
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Programs that claim to cleanse your liver (and kidneys, for good measure) aren't doing a thing except for making you buy into them. "The liver is a self-cleansing organ," says Dr. Reau. "That is its main job." (credit:Shutterstock)
Garlic (07 of16)
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Garlic helps your liver activate enzymes that can flush out toxins. It also has a high amount of allicin and selenium, two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing, says holistic nutritionist Hermeet Suri. (credit:ShutterStock)
Grapefruit (08 of16)
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Eating or drinking grapefruit juice can help your liver flush out carcinogens and toxins. This fruit is also high in both vitamin C and antioxidant properties. (credit:ShutterStock)
Beets (09 of16)
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Beets are high in plant-flavonoids, which can improve the overall functions of your liver. (credit:ShutterStock)
Leafy Greens (10 of16)
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Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce have the ability to neutralize metals, chemicals and pesticides that may be in our foods, and act as a protective mechanism for the liver, Suri says. (credit:ShutterStock)
Green Tea (11 of16)
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Green tea is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, which have been known to improve the functions of our liver. (credit:ShutterStock)
Avocados(12 of16)
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Adding more avocados to your diet can help your body produce a type of antioxidant called glutathione, which is needed for our livers to filter out harmful materials, Suri says. (credit:ShutterStock)
Cruciferous Vegetables (13 of16)
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Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts also increase the amount of glucosinolate (organic compounds) in our bodies that help create enzyme production for digestion, Suri says. (credit:ShutterStock)
Lemons(14 of16)
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We all know citrus fruits like lemons are full of vitamin C, but lemons also help our bodies cleanse out toxic materials and aid the digestion process. (credit:ShutterStock)
Turmeric (15 of16)
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Used as a spice, tumeric has been known to help our bodies digest fats and stimulate the production of bile. It can also act as a natural form of detox for your liver. (credit:ShutterStock)
Walnuts (16 of16)
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Walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which help support our livers through their cleansing process. (credit:ShutterStock)
Next, a further set of genes and chemicals kick-started the transformation of the endoderm cells into functioning liver cells.
Unlike other scientists, the team deliberately avoided taking the skin cells right back to their embryonic roots.
Previous research has used induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - reprogrammed cells with the properties of embryonic stem cells.
"Earlier studies tried to reprogramme skin cells back into a pluripotent, stem cell-like state in order to then grow liver cells," said lead scientist Professor Sheng Ding, from the Gladstone Institutes in California.
"However, generating these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, and then transforming them into liver cells wasn't always resulting in complete transformation.
"So we thought that, rather than taking these skin cells all the way back to a pluripotent, stem cell-like state, perhaps we could take them to an intermediate phase."
The research, published in the latest online edition of the Nature journal, produced liver-like cells in the laboratory which were then transplanted into mice modified to mimic liver failure.
After two months, a boost in human liver protein levels was seen in the mice. Nine months later the cells were mature, functioning and continuing to grow.
Co-author Professor Holger Willenbring, from the University of California at San Francisco, said: "Many questions remain, but the fact that these cells can fully mature and grow for months post-transplantation is extremely promising.
"In the future, our technique could serve as an alternative for liver-failure patients who don't require full-organ replacement, or who don't have access to a transplant due to limited donor organ availability."