Commentaries
A fat chance for hepatocyte transplantation?
MRC/University of Edinburgh Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
Correspondence to:
Professor S J Forbes, MRC/University of Edinburgh Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK; stuart.forbes@ed.ac.uk
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
A virtually unlimited supply of hepatocytes for transplantation, bio-artificial livers and drug testing would be highly desirable. If stem cell biology is to fulfil its potential and deliver this dream, then certain requirements must be met. Stem cell-derived "hepatocytes" should be readily available from an ethically acceptable source, tolerate cryopreservation allowing "off the shelf" use, demonstrate adequate metabolic and synthetic activity and, if transplanted should functionally integrate with non-parenchymal cells in the liver. Most importantly, cell transplantation must be safe. Derivation from an autologous source, thereby overcoming immunological barriers would further increase the applicability of this potential therapy.
There is a growing number of potential starting cell populations from which one may potentially derive hepatocyte-like cells (for a comprehensive review, see Oertel and Shafritz1). Broadly speaking the starting cell populations may be developmentally "primitive" such as the embryonic stem cells or be more differentiated such as foetal hepatocytes. Generally,
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Relevant Article
- Hepatocyte differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human adipose tissue in vitro promotes hepatic integration in vivo
- H Aurich, M Sgodda, P Kaltwaßer, M Vetter, A Weise, T Liehr, M Brulport, J G Hengstler, M M Dollinger, W E Fleig, and B Christ
Gut 2009 58: 570-581.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
