Scientists at Keio University School of Medicine have made a significant advancement in regenerative medicine by achieving unprecedented growth of human liver organoids. The team successfully expanded these miniaturized liver models a million times their original size within three to four weeks.
This breakthrough was achieved by using oncostatin M, a signaling protein involved in inflammatory processes. The researchers treated cryopreserved adult human hepatocytes with oncostatin M, resulting in exponential growth of the liver organoids. The study demonstrated that the cells continued to multiply for three months and remained viable for at least six months without losing their ability to differentiate.
When transplanted into mice with impaired liver function, the cells effectively integrated, replacing damaged liver cells and restoring essential liver functions. This innovative approach addresses the critical shortage of donor organs in liver transplantation and offers new avenues for drug development and disease modeling.