If only the human liver…

Human hepatocytes were grown in miceABC Magazine

The "humanized" mouse livers obtained by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will open up new opportunities for medical research. Alice Chen, a graduate student of the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology (Divison of Health Sciences and Technology), has found a way to improve the process of transplanting human liver tissue to laboratory mice. Existing methods have a number of disadvantages, such as the short lifespan of human cells outside the body, the need to damage the mouse liver to create suitable conditions for the adaptation of human tissue and the long time required to obtain the desired characteristics.

The new technology, developed by Chen and Professor Sangeeta Bhatia, allows processing up to 50 mice per day and requires only a week for tissue development. Human tissue is placed in a shell of nutrients and supporting cells created by researchers. In shape and size, the shell resembles a contact lens and can be implanted directly into the abdominal cavity of a mouse.

The pictures from the article in PNAS show a capsule partially extracted from the abdominal cavity of a mouse;
on the capsule lying in a plastic well, the blood vessels entwining it are visible – VM.  

The human tissue that has taken root in mice will allow scientists to study the effects of new drugs on the liver, which was previously impossible due to the different reactions of mice and humans to chemical compounds. In addition, it becomes possible to monitor in detail the course of diseases such as malaria and hepatitis.

The results of the study (Humanized mice with ectopic artificial liver tissues) were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Alice Chen also received the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for her work.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru14.07.2011