In a recent article in the journal Nature Cell Biology, researchers described experiments in which liver stem cells were transplanted into mice with severely damage livers. Livers are known for their ability to heal themselves, so the researchers hypothesized that the transplanted cells may spur areas of the liver to re-grow. The found that, in the experimental mice, this is exactly what happened, with the structure and function of the organs improved.

The researchers grew the liver stem cells (called hepatic progenitor cells — or HPCs) in he lab. If human HPCs can be injected into human livers, it is hoped that the mice results would be replicated. If so, this could lead to cell transplants as a treatment for liver failure rather than organ transplants. Senior author Dr. Stuart Forbes noted: “It will be some time before we can turn this into reality … This is much needed as liver disease is a very common cause of death and disability….”

In the longer term, scientists and hoping to utilize regenerative medicine to treat diseases for which there current are no cures, such as Parkinson’s disease and some forms of blindness. Some researchers think we are moving closer to being able to regenerate whole limbs from stem cells. A study in Medical News Today described how a team from Massachusetts General Hospital successfully regenerated forelimbs of rats from progenitor cells, giving hope this could some day be a successful technique in humans.