Title:Insight to Biofabrication of Liver Microtissues for Disease Modeling: Challenges and Opportunities
Volume: 19
Issue: 10
Author(s): Hengameh Dortaj*, Negar Azarpira*Sara Pakbaz
Affiliation:
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Keywords:
Liver, tissue engineering, hepatic, organoids, microtissue, stem cells.
Abstract: In the last decade, liver diseases with high mortality rates have become one of the most
important health problems in the world. Organ transplantation is currently considered the most effective
treatment for compensatory liver failure. An increasing number of patients and shortage of
donors has led to the attention of reconstructive medicine methods researchers. The biggest challenge
in the development of drugs effective in chronic liver disease is the lack of a suitable preclinical
model that can mimic the microenvironment of liver problems. Organoid technology is a
rapidly evolving field that enables researchers to reconstruct, evaluate, and manipulate intricate biological
processes in vitro. These systems provide a biomimetic model for studying the intercellular
interactions necessary for proper organ function and architecture in vivo. Liver organoids,
formed by the self-assembly of hepatocytes, are microtissues and can exhibit specific liver characteristics
for a long time in vitro. Hepatic organoids are identified as an impressive tool for evaluating
potential cures and modeling liver diseases. Modeling various liver diseases, including tumors,
fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver, etc., allows the study of the effects of various drugs on these
diseases in personalized medicine. Here, we summarize the literature relating to the hepatic
stem cell microenvironment and the formation of liver Organoids.
