Thousands of Americans with chronic liver disease are waiting for an organ transplant, but many are too weak to undergo surgery. A new technology developed by Professor Sangeeta Bhatia and colleagues at MIT could offer a groundbreaking alternative: injectable mini livers that eliminate the need for traditional transplantation.
Hepatocytes Encapsulated in Hydrogel Microspheres Enable Localized Regeneration
The liver performs essential functions such as regulating blood clotting, removing bacteria from the bloodstream, and metabolizing drugs, tasks primarily carried out by specialized cells called hepatocytes. Bhatia's lab has worked for a decade on ways to introduce functioning hepatocytes without surgically replacing the organ. In the new technique, these cells are injected along with hydrogel microspheres that help them stay together and form connections with nearby blood vessels. The spheres have special properties: they behave like a liquid when closely packed, allowing injection through a syringe, and then regain their solid structure inside the body. MIT postdoc Vardhman Kumar, lead author of the study, explains that these microspheres provide hepatocytes with a niche where they can stay localized and connect to the host circulation much faster.
Sponsored Protocol
Mice Tests Show Liver Function for at Least Two Months
The researchers demonstrated that the cells remain viable in mice for at least two months, producing many enzymes and proteins that the liver generates. In the study, the cells were injected into abdominal fat tissue, but they could also be delivered to other sites. According to Kumar, this technology can offer an alternative to surgery and serve as a bridge to transplantation, supporting patients until a donor organ becomes available. Patients may need immunosuppressive drugs, but the team is exploring ways to prevent rejection, such as engineering hepatocytes to evade the immune system or using the microspheres to deliver immunosuppressants locally.
Sponsored Protocol
This innovation is part of a broader research landscape where MIT continues to defend U.S. scientific leadership, as discussed in a related article. For more on liver transplantation, visit the Wikipedia page on liver transplantation.
