Engineering liver microtissues for disease modeling and regenerative medicine

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Hepatology

Background:

• Liver diseases pose a significant global health burden, causing millions of deaths annually.
• Liver tissue engineering has seen substantial progress, particularly in developing liver microtissues.
• Liver microtissues are 3D hepatocyte cultures that mimic liver physiology, aiding biomedical research and regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in liver microtissue research.
• To identify current challenges in the field.
• To outline future directions for liver microtissue development and application.

Main Methods:

• Cellular engineering approaches for hepatocyte sourcing (primary, stem cell-derived).
• Scaffold-free and scaffold-assisted methods for 3D microtissue generation (e.g., bioprinting, microfluidics).
• Optimization of the hepatic microenvironment and perfusion-based culture systems (bioreactors, microfluidics).

Main Results:

• Development of advanced cellular engineering techniques to produce functional hepatocytes.
• Establishment of diverse methods for constructing 3D liver microtissues with improved structural complexity.
• Integration of perfusion systems to enhance nutrient/factor exchange and mimic in vivo conditions.

Conclusions:

• Systematic optimization of liver microtissues is crucial for enhancing structural complexity and physiological relevance.
• Liver microtissues and on-chip models hold significant potential for liver disease research and therapeutic development.
• Multidisciplinary efforts are key to advancing liver microtissue technology for regenerative medicine applications.