A research group at the University of Tokyo succeeded in identifying and sorting liver nonparenchymal cells, and succeeded in constructing a human liver model from human iPS cells based on the analysis results.

 The liver is known as an organ having various functions such as metabolism, detoxification, and maintenance of homeostasis, and hepatic parenchymal cells (hepatocytes) and hepatic non-parenchymal cells (liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and liver) that are substantially responsible for these liver functions. It is composed of stellate cells, etc.).In recent years, attempts to induce hepatocytes from human iPS cells have been actively attempted for the purpose of application to drug discovery research and regenerative medicine research, but hepatocytes that contribute to differentiation / maturation and function maintenance of hepatocytes are non-parenchymal. The problem was that there was no effective means for analyzing cells.

 This time, this research group first analyzed the mouse liver development process and clarified the differentiation and maturation process of liver nonparenchymal cells.By applying the method for separating progenitor cells of each non-parenchymal cell and the amplification / maturation culture system found there to induce differentiation from human iPS cells, we applied human iPS cell-derived hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatic stellate cells. It was the first successful establishment in the world.Furthermore, a co-culture system of induced human iPS cell-derived liver non-parenchymal cells and human iPS cell-derived liver progenitor cells was established, and a human liver model was constructed.As a result, it was clarified that human iPS cell-derived hepatic non-parenchymal cells highly express secretory factors and extracellular matrix involved in hepatocyte maturation, and promote the proliferation of hepatic progenitor cells and their differentiation into hepatocytes. That is.

 In the future, the company plans to apply the constructed human liver model to modeling liver diseases such as hepatitis virus infection systems, aiming to develop new preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents for liver diseases.

Paper information:[Stem Cell Reports] An in vitro human liver model by iPSC-derived parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells

Tokyo University

Established in the 10th year of the Meiji era.A university with the longest history in Japan and at the forefront of Japanese knowledge

The University of Tokyo was established in 1877 (Meiji 10) by integrating the Tokyo Kaisei School and the Tokyo Medical School.Since its establishment, it has developed education and research in a unique way in the world as a leading university in Japan and an academic center for the fusion of East and West cultures.As a result, many human resources have been produced in a wide range of fields, and many research achievements […]

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