A stem cell-based artificial liver’s clinical studies have received China’s approval. For the millions of people suffering from liver failure, this finding gives hope.
This bio-artificial liver was developed by a team of Chinese researchers, and it acts outside the body to carry out processes like protein synthesis and detoxification that the liver normally handles.
How does it function?
Blood travels through the bioreactor system, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP), where a hollow fibre membrane raises stem cells and other essential elements.Although comparable membranes have been utilised in other medical procedures, this is the first instance where stem cells are being cultured using them.
Gao Yi, executive director of Southern Medical University’s Translational Medicine Centre at Zhujiang Hospital in Guangdong province, said: “In animal models involving pigs and monkeys, we observed that our method increased the survival rate from 17 per cent, as seen with conventional treatments, to 87.5 per cent.”
What benefits will it provide liver patients?
The only viable therapy for liver failure at the moment is liver transplantation. But the treatment is frequently constrained by a lack of donors, difficult procedures, expensive expenses, and ultimately the requirement for lifelong immunosuppressants. Approximately 500,000 to 1 million newly diagnosed instances of liver failure are recorded annually in China, which has a high incidence of the condition.
When will the procedure be accessible to the general public?
The efficacy of this novel gadget in human patients will be determined via clinical studies. However, it marks a positive development in the treatment of liver failure. Without depending on extrinsic plasma and blood proteins, this study intended to simulate the whole range of activities of actual livers.
