Scientists will soon begin a clinical trial for a new liver disease treatment. The experimental treatment will hopefully help treat end-stage liver disease and reduce liver transplants. To do this, it will harness the natural regenerative power of the liver by growing an entirely new liver within the patient. It won’t just rely on one new liver, either. Instead, patients will grow multiple tiny livers in their bodies.
The process, which has shown success in mice, pigs, and dogs, involves injecting healthy liver cells into the patient’s lymph nodes. The cells then multiply inside the patient’s body, growing into tiny functioning versions of the larger organ. It’s an intriguing treatment for liver disease, and so far, it has improved liver function in animals that have received the treatment.
The clinical trial focuses on using the lymph nodes in the patients to create bioreactors that can grow the new livers. Not only would this give people dealing with liver disease more options, but it would also relieve pressure on an already overloaded transplant system. New Atlas reports that the participants will be divided into three primary groups.
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