"Revolutionary Trial: Human Mini Liver to Grow in Personal Lymph Node"
In a groundbreaking move, the biotechnology firm LyGenesis has successfully injected a person with liver failure with donor liver cells, setting the stage for an innovative clinical trial. The goal? To harness the body's natural healing powers and grow a miniature, functioning liver within the patient's own lymph node.
This bold and unprecedented approach marks a significant shift in the treatment of end-stage liver disease, a condition that claims over 50,000 lives each year in the United States alone. With a shortage of available organ donors, many patients are left without the life-saving option of a liver transplant. LyGenesis' pioneering strategy aims to provide a game-changing solution.
The procedure involves carefully injecting the donor liver cells into a lymph node located in the upper abdomen of the patient. Lymph nodes, known for their role in the body's immune system, are uniquely suited for this task. They are rich in blood supply and strategically distributed throughout the body, making them ideal incubators for the growth of miniature livers.
"It's a very bold and incredibly innovative idea," remarks Valerie Gouon-Evans, a liver-regeneration specialist at Boston University, who is not affiliated with LyGenesis.
In preclinical trials, the approach has already proven successful in mice, dogs, and pigs. When the researchers restricted blood flow to the animals' livers, causing organ failure, the injected donor cells thrived within the lymph nodes, transforming them into functioning 'mini livers.' These miniature organs even exhibited the cellular architecture and bile-processing capabilities of a healthy liver.
The first human participant in this groundbreaking trial is now recovering well, and the researchers are eager to expand the study. LyGenesis aims to enroll 12 individuals by mid-2025, with the goal of publishing the results the following year. The trial will not only assess the safety and efficacy of the treatment but also help determine the optimal number of mini livers required to stabilize a patient's health.
While the mini livers may not address all the complications of end-stage liver disease, such as portal hypertension, they offer a promising stopgap solution. The hope is that these auxiliary organs can provide a lifeline, either by keeping patients alive until a liver transplant becomes available or by improving their overall health to the point where they can undergo the transplant procedure.
"That would be amazing, because these patients currently have no other treatment options," Gouon-Evans says.
The potential implications of this work extend beyond liver disease. LyGenesis is also exploring the use of similar approaches to grow kidney and pancreatic cells in lymph nodes, opening up new frontiers in regenerative medicine.
As the clinical trial progresses, the scientific community and the public alike will be watching with bated breath, eager to see the transformative impact this innovative treatment could have on the lives of those facing the devastating consequences of liver failure.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00975-z
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