New horizons for stem cell therapy in liver disease

Forbes, Stuart J.; Newsome, Philip N.

doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2011.06.022

« Previous Next »Journal of Hepatology
Volume 56, Issue 2 , Pages 496-499, February 2012

New horizons for stem cell therapy in liver disease

Stuart J. Forbes
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and MRC/University of Edinburgh Centre for Inflammation Research, Edinburgh University, UK
- Corresponding authors. Addresses: The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)131 2426687; fax: +44 (0)131 2426578 (S.J. Forbes); Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)121 4145614 (P.N. Newsome).
Philip N. Newsome
- The Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Corresponding authors. Addresses: The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)131 2426687; fax: +44 (0)131 2426578 (S.J. Forbes); Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)121 4145614 (P.N. Newsome).

Received 26 April 2011; received in revised form 20 June 2011; accepted 20 June 2011. published online 27 July 2011.

Summary

There is an increasing range of potential applications of stem cells in liver diseases, with many clinical studies already undertaken. We identify four of the main areas which we propose stem cell therapy could be a realistic aim for in the future: (1) to improve regeneration and reduce scarring in liver cirrhosis by modulating the liver’s own regenerative processes, (2) to down-regulate immune mediated liver damage, (3) supplying hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) derived from stem cells for use in extracorporeal bio-artificial liver machines, and (4) to use stem cell derived HLCs for cell transplantation to supplement or replace hepatocyte function.

Abbreviations: ECM, extra-cellular matrix, EPCs, endothelial progenitor cells, HLCs, hepatocyte-like cells, HPC, hepatic progenitor cell, iPSCs, induced pluripotent stem cells, MMP, matrix metalloproteinase, MSCs, mesenchymal stem cells