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Rosetrees -funded research, published in Science, reports that for the first time, researchers have used lab grown ‘mini-bile ducts’ to repair human livers. The work entitled “Cholangiocyte organoids can repair bile ducts after transplantation in human liver” was led by Dr Fotios Sampaziotis from the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute.

Bile ducts are the liver’s waste disposal system and dysfunctional bile ducts are the cause of approximately 1/3 of adult and 70% of children’s liver transplantations. Currently there is a chronic shortage of donor livers and there are no alternative treatments for patients who need a transplant. To counter this the researchers have grown bile duct “mini-organs” known as organoids and transplanted these into ex vivo human livers, repairing the damage.
This pioneering work in regenerative medicine is the 1st study of its kind that has been used in human organs and paves the way for cell therapies to treat liver disease in patients in the coming years. It is also possible that this approach can be applied to various organs and diseases, greatly reducing the pressure on transplant waiting lists and improving the prognosis for countless patients. More information can be found here.