<p>Scientists in Japan today said they had grown human liver tissue from stem cells in a first that holds promise for alleviating the critical shortage of donor organs.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Creating lab-grown tissue to replenish organs damaged by accident or disease is a Holy Grail for the pioneering field of research into the premature cells known as stem cells.<br /><br />Now Takanori Takebe of the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine and team report in the journal Nature that they grew tissue "resembling the (human) adult liver" in a lab mouse.<br /><br />"To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the generation of a functional human organ from pluripotent stem (iPS) cells," said the report.<br />The technique has yet to be tested in humans, but serves as an important proof of concept, it added.<br /><br />Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body.<br />Until a few years ago, when iPS cells were created, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.<br /><br />This is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives and others object.<br /><br />iPS cells are easily-obtainable mature cells that are "reprogrammed" into a versatile, primitive state from where they can develop into any kind of cell in the body.<br /><br />According to Takebe, the liver developed blood vessels which fused with those of the animal. It also performed certain human-specific liver functions — producing proteins and processing certain drugs.<br /><br />"We have concluded that this liver is functioning," the scientist said. "We think this is enough for improving survival after liver failure."<br /><br />Scientists commenting on the research described it as promising.<br /><br />"This science opens up the distinct possibility of being able to create mini-livers from the skin cells of a patient dying of liver failure," said Malcolm Alison, professor of stem cell biology at the Queen Mary University of London.<br /><br />Takebe said the method may also work in organs like the pancreas, kidneys or lungs, but it would be another 10 years before trials are done in humans.</p>
<p>Scientists in Japan today said they had grown human liver tissue from stem cells in a first that holds promise for alleviating the critical shortage of donor organs.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Creating lab-grown tissue to replenish organs damaged by accident or disease is a Holy Grail for the pioneering field of research into the premature cells known as stem cells.<br /><br />Now Takanori Takebe of the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine and team report in the journal Nature that they grew tissue "resembling the (human) adult liver" in a lab mouse.<br /><br />"To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the generation of a functional human organ from pluripotent stem (iPS) cells," said the report.<br />The technique has yet to be tested in humans, but serves as an important proof of concept, it added.<br /><br />Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body.<br />Until a few years ago, when iPS cells were created, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.<br /><br />This is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives and others object.<br /><br />iPS cells are easily-obtainable mature cells that are "reprogrammed" into a versatile, primitive state from where they can develop into any kind of cell in the body.<br /><br />According to Takebe, the liver developed blood vessels which fused with those of the animal. It also performed certain human-specific liver functions — producing proteins and processing certain drugs.<br /><br />"We have concluded that this liver is functioning," the scientist said. "We think this is enough for improving survival after liver failure."<br /><br />Scientists commenting on the research described it as promising.<br /><br />"This science opens up the distinct possibility of being able to create mini-livers from the skin cells of a patient dying of liver failure," said Malcolm Alison, professor of stem cell biology at the Queen Mary University of London.<br /><br />Takebe said the method may also work in organs like the pancreas, kidneys or lungs, but it would be another 10 years before trials are done in humans.</p>