Year 2

In the past year we have made several discoveries that move us closer to our goal to improve the proliferation and function and thus therapeutic efficacy of hepatocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells.

Some of these discoveries have elucidated the role of microRNAs, a class of non-coding small RNAs, in liver regeneration and function. For example, we found that miR-21 acts as a promoter of hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration. In addition, we identified several other microRNAs that establish differentiated function in hepatocytes.

Other discoveries of ours have revealed which type of pluripotent stem cell is best for liver cell therapy that does not require chronic immune suppression. Our results show that induced pluripotent stem cells derived from fibroblasts are as effective in reversing liver failure as normal hepatocytes.