Mixture of three cell types self-assembles into a liver bud and used to create functioning liver in mice

Japanese researchers have created functioning liver tissue from stem cells and successfully transplanted them into mice.

The researchers found that a mixture of human liver precursor cells and two other cell types can spontaneously form three-dimensional structures dubbed “liver buds.” In the mice, these liver buds formed functional connections with natural blood vessels and perform some liver-specific functions such as breaking down drugs in the bloodstream.

It’s possible the technique will work with other organ types, including the pancreas, kidney, or lungs, lead author Takanori Takebe, a scientist at Yokohama City University in Japan.

This is the first demonstration that a rudimentary human organ can be produced using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

Nature -Vascularized and functional human liver from an iPSC-derived organ bud transplant


Generation of human liver with functional vascular networks in vivo.

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