A team of biological engineers has published a study identifying chemicals that allow liver cells to continue to grow outside of the body. The find is huge step toward creating artificial livers, considering how rapid loss of cell functionality ex vivo has meant cell regeneration has been difficult to instigate in engineered tissue.
Hepatocytes are the most dominant type of liver cell; they take care of processes such as protein storage, transformation of carbohydrates and synthesis of cholesterol and protein. On top of this, hepatocytes are the reason the liver is able to regenerate if a chunk is removed in surgery -- for transplant donation, for instance.
By: Liat Clark, Edited by: Olivia Solon
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via Wired.co.uk
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/03/artificial-liver-regeneration
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