(NewsNation) — For tens of thousands of people seeking a liver transplant, it could be a lifeline. It is possible to grow a new liver within your own body.
Biotechnology company LyGenesis For the first time, the researchers said they injected human patients with a cocktail containing donated liver cells. The goal is to turn the lymph nodes into a small but functioning liver.
Researchers began the first human trial in late March, injecting the treatment into 12 patients, all with end-stage liver disease (ESLD).
“If our research is successful and FDA-approved, 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,” he said. Michael Hufford, co-founder and CEO of LyGenesis.
Approximately 4.5 million people develop liver disease and more than 50,000 die from liver disease each year. But nAround 10,000 people are on the waiting list. Not all donated livers are suitable for transplantation.
Regenesis says the new treatment requires only a few cells taken from the liver, meaning each donated organ can provide enough material to treat up to 75 people.
The human trials followed animal trials conducted over the past few years. In one study, mice injected with the compound grew enough liver tissue in their lymph nodes to take over the work of a diseased liver. In further research, the pigs grew new livers that were larger than the animals’ damaged livers.
The liver is unique among human organs in that it has the ability to heal itself. Damaged liver tissue sends signals to healthy tissue to regenerate itself.
