Review article: a medicine based on cell transplantation -- is there a future for treating liver diseases?

Cell-based therapies, comprising isolated hepatocyte transplantation, ex vivo gene therapy and bioartificial liver devices, may actually design a new scenario in the treatment of patients with liver failure. Recent advances in the liver repopulation field and the considerable excitement surrounding the use of haematopoietic stem cells for a 'regenerative medicine', allow us to see under a new light the alternative cell sources actually under investigation. In particular, the major drawbacks and the most important advantages of xenogenic primary cells, tumour-derived cell lines, immortalised hepatocytes and stem cells in the wide range of experimental and clinical applications are presented. Even if up to now none of them represent a 'gold standard' in the clinical practice, the intersecting advances in the development of mechanical components of artificial devices and in the liver biology and bioengineering will open tantalising possibilities to treat patients with liver failure, by tailoring the therapeutic choice on the basis of the aetiology and the stage of liver disease.