Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the field of medical science by developing a mini-liver from human skin cells. It was transplanted on lab rats, that showed positive results. This research hints at making liver transplants efficient and affordable.
Crux of the Matter
The Research Research carried out at the University of Pittsburgh, to develop a fully-functional mini-liver from human skin cell has shown fruitful results. The mini-liver developed in the lab was transplanted in rats’ bodies to check the liver’s durability and functionality. Researchers developed human mini liver within a month in a bioreactor, whereas the natural liver takes 2 years to mature in a natural environment. The research was published in the Cell Report journal.
The Experiment Skin Cell samples were taken from humans and bioengineers reprogrammed them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using various transcription factors. Then, they guided a stem cell to become a liver cell, which was then placed in a bioreactor to nurture and develop. As soon as the mini-livers were ready, they were transplanted in 5 immunosuppressed mice. Immunosuppressed means partial or complete suppression of the immune response of an individual, which helps the survival of an organ after a transplant. 4 days later, all rats were dissected to check the condition of the organ. Scientists observed some problems with blood flow around the graft. A graft is a piece of living tissue transplanted during surgery. The presence of human liver proteins in rats’ blood serum, indicated the success of the transplant. Mini-liver functioned normally and secreted bile acids and urea as usual.
Recent History Of Lab Grown Organs
Mini-Heart: Researchers at the University of California developed heart muscle and connectivity tissue from a stem cell and developed tiny chambers in it.
Mini-Kidney: Australian scientists grew a mini kidney promoting stem cells into an organ with three distinct types of kidney cells.
Mini-Lungs: Researchers developed 3D lung organoids that developed bronchi, or airway structures, and lung sacs at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Esophagus: At Kuban State Medical University in Russia, scientists grew a working esophagus by growing stem cells on a scaffold for three weeks. Successfully implanted the organ in rats.
Future Benefits This bio-fabrication technology would help in speeding up the transplant process, lowering its cost, coping with the problem of organ shortage, and could give a functional boost to failing livers to buy some time for patients before transplant. It is estimated that more than 30 million people with liver disorders worldwide can be benefitted. The average cost of liver transplant in the US is ~$800,000.
The long-term goal is to create organs that can replace organ donation, but in the near future, I see this as a bridge to transplant. Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, Co-author of the study
Curiopedia
The first time a rat was brought into a laboratory for a study was in 1828, in an experiment on fasting. Over the next 30 years, rats were used for several more experiments, and eventually, the laboratory rat became the first animal domesticated for purely scientific reasons.
Willard Stanton Small was an experimental psychologist. Small was the first person to use the behavior of rats in mazes as a measure of learning. In 1900 and 1901, he published journal two of three in “Experimental Study of the Mental Processes of the Rat” in the American Journal of Psychology.
Animal rights organizations—such as PETA and BUAV—question the need for and legitimacy of animal testing, arguing that it is cruel and poorly regulated, that medical progress is actually held back by misleading animal models that cannot reliably predict effects in humans, that some of the tests are outdated, that the costs outweigh the benefits, or that animals have the intrinsic right not to be used or harmed in experimentation.
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