Basic Science Discoveries Yield Progress in ...(engraft proliferate and correct a diseas...),Health

Date:4/25/2008

engraft, proliferate and correct a disease phenotype of a recipient liver, but safety issues (e.g. tumor formation) still remain a concern. To date, in the laboratory, stem cells have been found to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells and other liver cell types and used to restore liver function in mice with liver failure. For some researchers, this is a potential treatment that, if successfully applied to humans, will allow correction of inborn errors of metabolism or allow patients to live long enough for a donated organ to become available. Some scientists believe that stem cells might even enable the liver to completely heal itself so a transplant is no longer needed. In Professor Trauner's view, although the latter application is interesting, its success may be limited due to severe disturbances of liver architecture in advanced liver diseases such as cirrhosis, which limits the function of newly transplanted cells. However, in the future, stem cells perhaps could also be used to reverse fibrous scars in liver cirrhosis.

A fourth promising area is the application of systems biology -- which focuses on interactions in biological systems -- to clinical problems in hepatology. As such, the systematic exploration of RNA, protein and metabolic profiles in hepatitis, fatty liver and cancer may help to identify patients at particular risk for developing severe forms of these diseases, help to predict prognoses, and may unravel potential therapeutic targets in individual patients. This approach brings us a major step toward personalized, individualized medicine with better prediction of individual prognosis and better selection of the best therapy for each individual patient.

About EASL

The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) aims to promote investigation into liver disease and improve the treatments that currently exist for these conditions. The association, through its annual meetings, seeks to inform and educate both the s
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SOURCE EASL - European Association for the Study of the Liver Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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