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Updated: Sep 16, 2025
Isolation and Enrichment of Liver Progenitor Subsets Identified by a Novel Surface Marker Combination
Published on: February 18, 2017
Sweet and sticky: increased cell adhesion through click-mediated functionalization of regenerative liver progenitor
Amaziah R Alipio1, Melissa R Vieira2,3, Tamara Haefeli4
1School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract:
The burgeoning field of cell therapies is rapidly expanding, offering the promise to tackle complex and unsolved healthcare problems. One prominent example is represented by CAR T-cells, which have been introduced into the clinic for treating a variety of cancers. Promising cell therapeutics have also been developed to promote tissue regeneration, showing high potencies for the treatment of damaged liver. Nevertheless, in the remit of regenerative medicine, cell-therapy efficacies remain suboptimal as a consequence of the low engraftment of injected cells to the existing surrounding tissue. Herein, we present a facile approach to enhance the adhesion and engraftment of therapeutic hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) through specific and homogeneous cell surface modification with exogenous polysaccharides, without requiring genetic modification. Coated HPCs exhibit significantly increased markers of adhesion and cell spreading and demonstrate preferential interactions with certain extra-cellular matrix proteins. Moreover, they display enhanced binding to endothelial cells and 3D liver microtissues. This translatable methodology shows promise for improving therapeutic cell engraftment, offering a potential alternative to liver transplantation in end-stage liver disease.
Insights
Researchers developed a simple method to improve cell therapy for liver regeneration. By coating hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) with polysaccharides, they enhanced cell adhesion and engraftment, potentially improving outcomes for liver disease.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cell Therapy
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Cell therapies, including CAR T-cells for cancer, are advancing rapidly.
- Therapeutic cell engraftment is crucial for regenerative medicine but remains suboptimal.
- Low engraftment of injected cells limits the efficacy of liver regeneration therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a non-genetic method to enhance the adhesion and engraftment of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs).
- To improve the therapeutic potential of cell-based liver regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Homogeneous cell surface modification of HPCs with exogenous polysaccharides.
- Assessment of cell adhesion, spreading, and interactions with extracellular matrix proteins.
- Evaluation of binding to endothelial cells and 3D liver microtissues.
Main Results:
- Polysaccharide-coated HPCs showed significantly increased adhesion and cell spreading.
- Coated HPCs exhibited preferential interactions with specific extracellular matrix proteins.
- Enhanced binding of coated HPCs to endothelial cells and liver microtissues was observed.
Conclusions:
- This facile, non-genetic surface modification strategy effectively enhances therapeutic cell engraftment.
- The methodology shows promise for improving cell therapy in liver regeneration.
- This approach could offer an alternative to liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease.
