Hepatocyte transplantation program: Lessons learned and future strategies.

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Cell Therapy
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• Hepatocyte transplantation (HT) offers a potential alternative to liver transplantation for patients with liver failure.
• Establishing a robust HT program requires optimizing cell sourcing, isolation, and preservation techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the key learnings and established protocols for setting up a hepatocyte transplantation program.
• To identify critical factors for successful hepatocyte isolation, quality assessment, and transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of novel liver tissue sources for hepatocyte isolation.
• Optimization of hepatocyte isolation and cryopreservation procedures.
• Establishment of quality criteria for assessing hepatocyte functionality and suitability for HT.

Main Results:

• High viability and functionality of hepatocytes are essential for restoring liver functions.
• Organs with significant steatosis (≥40%) or from elderly donors yield poor results.
• Neonatal hepatocytes demonstrate excellent cryopreservation viability and function, suitable for human HT.
• Cryopreservation ensures consistent hepatocyte availability and allows for quality control before transplantation.

Conclusions:

• Hepatocyte transplantation is a safe and effective cell therapy for acute liver failure and inborn metabolic diseases.
• The use of viable, metabolically functional human hepatocytes is paramount for successful HT outcomes.
• Programmatic experience highlights the importance of stringent quality control and optimized cell processing.