A critical donor organ shortage currently limits the treatment of patients with severe liver failure. Building on earlier work with decellularized hearts, Basak Uygun et al. have developed a transplantable liver graft using a decellularized liver matrix. This approach preserves the structural and functional characteristics of the native microvascular network, supports efficient recellularization and, when transplanted into rats, allows the viability and metabolic function of hepatocytes to be maintained.
- Basak E Uygun
- Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez
- Korkut Uygun