Reacción a "Tiny organoids help repair liver damage in mice"

The supply/demand disproportion is a universal phenomenon in all types of organ transplantation, but it is particularly distressing in the case of the liver because it is the most in demand after the kidney and because, unlike the kidney, it lacks alternatives such as dialysis and is therefore of a vital nature. For this reason, liver transplantation is currently the only solution for all types of end-stage liver disease.

The line of research proposed in this article could be revolutionary because, if it were fully implemented and applied in clinical practice, it would provide an effective treatment for liver fibrosis, which is a common final pathway for most liver diseases. It would therefore represent a solution for thousands of patients without access to transplantation.

The method involves the use of pluripotent iPS cells in mice to create ‘liver buds’ which, once fused to form organoids, can be transplanted into the animal, leading to improved liver function in animals with chemically induced liver fibrosis. These liver organoids show a strong regenerative capacity, improve fibrosis through the action of macrophages and are able to develop their own structures such as bile ducts and blood vessels, as well as establish connections with the animal's original organ.

Although with the caution that comes with being a study in experimental animals and referring only to a specific form of experimental liver disease, this line of research, which follows previous work by the same team with a fairly solid track record, opens up a path with great possibilities in the search for alternatives to transplantation and thus to alleviate the shortage of organs.