Bioartificial liver therapy

Acute liver failure is a devastating clinical syndrome with a mortality rate of 60 to 80 %. A bioartificial liver (BAL) that supports natural liver recovery or bridges the period until a donor liver is available would be a lifesaver.

A BAL is a bioreactor loaded with potentially 10 billion embedded liver cells. The used BAL consists of a combination of a bioreactor with the human liver cell line HepaRG that mimics human liver to high extent. This extracorporeal supportive device temporarily replaces liver function. The ideal BAL is based on human cells that mimic functioning of a normal liver. It has to execute three key tasks: detoxification, protein synthesis and regulation of homeostasis. HepaRG is the only human cell line in the world that is able to carry out these key tasks, particularly in combination with the AMC-bioreactor that provides a milieu that promotes the maturation of the cells. Preclinical experiments have shown the effectiveness, safety and feasibility of BAL systems in a small preclinical model.

Further details: Bioartificial liver therapy