CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL IMMUNOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE APPLICATION OF XENOGENIC HYBRID LIVER SUPPORT

Hybrid liver support systems (LSS) for the use of pig liver cells are under development for extracorporeal therapy of acute liver failure an d for bridging to liver transplantation. A literature overview about p ossible immunological side effects of a clinical application is given. The data summarised from experimental studies and those clinical appl ications of porcine cells reported so far, suggest that clinical use o f LSS utilising porcine cells and an immune-isolation membrane should not be compromised by severe immunological complications. The reported data suggest that clinical application should be conducted in conjunc tion with carefully planned immunological monitoring. Only after such applications of LSS have been carried out and further data have been e valuated, might one be able to judge the immunological consequences of broader application of hybrid liver support.