Current status of cell-based therapies in liver diseases

Major strides have bee; made during the past 10 years in the fields of live r cell transplantation and liver-directed gene therapy. Pre-clinical studie s in animals have shown that primary hepatocytes transplanted into the live r as well as intravenously transfused bone marrow stem cells can generate n ew liver tissue. Such cell transplantation studies have contributed to our understanding of organogenesis and hepatocyte biology. Furthermore, transpl antation of xenogenic hepatocytes has led to the development of new small a nimal models for studying viral hepatitis. In the clinical setting, liver c ell transplantation offers a wide range of potential therapeutic applicatio ns, especially in metabolic diseases. In particular, the case of a patient with Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type I clearly demonstrated the long-term viab ility of transplanted hepatocytes with stable metabolic function. Further s tudies are warranted to assess the full potential of cell-based therapies a nd their clinical application.