TY - JOUR
T1 - Cellular therapy and bioartificial approaches to liver replacement
AU - Wertheim, Jason A.
AU - Baptista, Pedro M.
AU - Soto-Gutierrez, Alejandro
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The success of liver transplantation has increased over the past 20 years due to improved immunosuppressive medications, surgical technique and donor-recipient selection. To date, the number of patients waiting for a liver transplant exceeds the number of transplants performed yearly by over a 2:1 ratio. Despite efforts to expand the donor pool, mortality of patients waiting for a liver remains high due to the shortage of donor organs. Herein, we discuss options for liver replacement that are currently under development. RECENT FINDINGS: Extracorporeal bioactive liver perfusion devices were investigated in the late 1990s and preliminarily demonstrated safety but failed to show clinical efficacy. Current research is ongoing, but the focus has shifted to xenotransplantation of whole organs, organ engineering and cell transplantation. These new modalities are limited to small and large animal studies and each present unique advantages and limitations. SUMMARY: Discovery of new sources of organs or cells to replace a damaged liver may be the only long-term solution to provide definitive therapy to all patients who require transplantation. The past 2 years have seen notable achievements in xenotransplantation, tissue engineering and cell transplantation. Though challenges remain, now identified, they may be readily solved.
AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The success of liver transplantation has increased over the past 20 years due to improved immunosuppressive medications, surgical technique and donor-recipient selection. To date, the number of patients waiting for a liver transplant exceeds the number of transplants performed yearly by over a 2:1 ratio. Despite efforts to expand the donor pool, mortality of patients waiting for a liver remains high due to the shortage of donor organs. Herein, we discuss options for liver replacement that are currently under development. RECENT FINDINGS: Extracorporeal bioactive liver perfusion devices were investigated in the late 1990s and preliminarily demonstrated safety but failed to show clinical efficacy. Current research is ongoing, but the focus has shifted to xenotransplantation of whole organs, organ engineering and cell transplantation. These new modalities are limited to small and large animal studies and each present unique advantages and limitations. SUMMARY: Discovery of new sources of organs or cells to replace a damaged liver may be the only long-term solution to provide definitive therapy to all patients who require transplantation. The past 2 years have seen notable achievements in xenotransplantation, tissue engineering and cell transplantation. Though challenges remain, now identified, they may be readily solved.
KW - cell transplantation
KW - extracorporeal liver perfusion
KW - liver transplantation alternatives
KW - organ engineering
KW - tissue engineering
KW - xenotransplantation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861195481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84861195481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/MOT.0b013e3283534ec9
DO - 10.1097/MOT.0b013e3283534ec9
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22476224
AN - SCOPUS:84861195481
SN - 1087-2418
VL - 17
SP - 235
EP - 240
JO - Current opinion in organ transplantation
JF - Current opinion in organ transplantation
IS - 3
ER -