A team of scientists is trying to grow new livers inside humans using lymph nodes. This sounds like science fiction, but the Pittsburgh-based biotech company LyGenesis has discovered that volunteers can receive an injection of liver cells from a living donor, potentially turning one of their lymph nodes into a second functioning liver. It was announced that there is.
The experimental procedure was performed at the following locations: Houston on March 25th.it is Part of Phase 2a clinical trial The treatment will be tested on 12 adults with the following symptoms: end stage liver disease (ESLD). This disease occurs when the liver becomes irreparably damaged, primarily due to chronic liver disease or acute liver failure.that’s all 50,000 Americans People die every year from chronic liver disease.
Patients with ESLD usually require a liver transplant; Approximately 10,000 people are currently on waiting lists in the United States. alone. In 2021, 9,234 liver transplants were performed in the United States; According to the federal government’s Transplant Recipient Scientific Registry. LyGensis hopes the procedure will allow patients to grow enough liver tissue that they won’t need a transplant.
[Related: Swiss researchers kept a donor liver healthy for a remarkable 68 hours.]
“This treatment could be a breakthrough milestone in regenerative medicine by helping ESLD patients grow new, functional ectopic livers within their own bodies,” said LyGenesis. said Dr. Michael Hufford, co-founder and CEO. stated in a statement. “If our research is successful and we receive FDA approval, our allogeneic cell therapy will allow us to treat dozens of ESLD patients with one donated liver, meeting current organ demands.” and could help tip the supply imbalance in favor of patients.”
This technology has been studied for many years. over 10 years. Liver cells, or liver cells, are harvested from the donated organ and injected into lymph nodes throughout the body. In the lymph nodes, liver cells are thought to divide, grow, and develop blood vessels. Targets lymph node groups in the abdomen. connected to the liver via the venous system.
according to MIT Technology Review, LyGenesis tested this approach in mice and pigs and found that the cells could grow and form additional livers that took over the functions of the animals’ failing organs. Chief Scientific Officer of LyGenesis and Pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh Dr. Eric Lagasse has been published Studying in 2020 The results showed that the pigs recovered their liver function after the injection. They also noted that the more severely damaged a pig’s original liver, the larger the second liver grew. The pig’s body may be able to recognize healthier tissue and give the new liver more responsibility.
In an experimental procedure, doctors threaded a thin, flexible tube down the end of a patient’s throat and into their digestive tract. according to wired. They then used ultrasound to identify one of the target lymph nodes and injected 50 million liver cells into it.
[Related: Surgeons complete first-ever gene-edited pig kidney transplant.]
“LyGenesis’ cell therapy platform represents a truly remarkable potential commercial opportunity and could be transformative for patients with chronic liver failure who do not have access to a donor liver,” said LyGenesis investor Prime Movers. said Justin Briggs of the Lab. stated in a statement. “The use of endoscopic ultrasound as a low-risk, low-cost route for cell therapy administration is complex as this pioneering technology provides patients with access to life-saving therapies and fundamentally changes transplant medicine.” This is another way we can address serious medical challenges.”
Results will not be available for some time Several months The researchers will monitor the number of cells needed to grow a liver large enough to filter blood and produce bile. If it works, it could lead to major changes in the treatment of liver disease. Approximately 4.5 million people In the US.
