A group of US scientists have created the world’s smallest human liver which can survive for forty days and works like the real thing – using a 3D printer.
The mini-livers, made by California-based medical research company Organvo, are just half a millimetre deep and four millimetres wide but can perform most of the functions that a real liver can.
The printer builds up 20 layers of hepatocytes cells, which carry out liver functions, along with two major types of liver cell. It also adds cells from the lining of a blood vessel. This allows the liver cells to receive nutrients and oxygen.
The most recent liver created survived for 40 days in the lab, which might not seem very long as human liver cells are replaced every 300 to 500 days, but the company’s previous mini-liver only survived for five days.
Keith Murphy, Organovo’s chief executive officer said: ‘In April we were able to show that liver function was retained in our 3D liver for over five days, and we have now demonstrated that our tissues perform consistently for at least 40 days, a significant improvement over the average 48 hour performance of 2D cultures.’
While research is in the early stages, scientists believe that future versions could be used for transplants. This would a significant step for more than 120,000 people worldwide on organ transplant waiting lists.
Written by pipspiper
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