Liver tissue engineering: Recent advances in the development of a bio-artificial liver

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the most common treatment for patients with end-stage liver failure. However, liver transplantation is greatly limited by a donor shortage. Liver tissue engineering may offer a promising strategy to solve this problem by providing transplantable, bioartificial livers. Diverse types of cells, biomaterials, and growth factor delivery systems have been tested for efficient regeneration of liver tissues that possess hepatic functions comparable to native livers. This article reviews recent advances in liver tissue engineering and describes cell sources, biomaterial scaffolds, and growth factor delivery systems that are currently being used to improve the regenerative potential of tissue-engineered livers.

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