Liver Repairing Virus

Scientists developed virus that can repair liver damage caused by alcohol.

15:22 07 June 2016

Every year, more than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom die from cirrhosis of the liver, which is typically caused by alcohol abuse and various medical conditions.

A team of researchers at the University College of San Francisco has developed a bespoke virus that can convert damaged liver cells into health cells, preventing the need for liver transplants.

 

The study's senior author, Dr Holger Willenbring said: "Part of why this works is that the liver is a naturally regenerative organ, so it can deal with new cells very well.

 

"What we see is that the converted cells are not only functionally integrated in the liver tissue, but also divide and expand, leading to patches of new liver tissue."

The process mainly targets liver fibrosis that occurs when hepatocytes are unable to regenerate fast enough to keep up with the damage caused by drinking or medical conditions including obesity and hepatitis C.

 

Dr Willenbring said: "Liver fibrosis is not rare. It's actually the end stage of many chronic liver diseases.

 

"Obesity, for instance, can lead to fatty liver disease, which is predicted to become the number one cause of liver fibrosis in the next 10 years."

 

The researchers have identified a method to effectively convert these “patches” into new, healthy hepatocytes. They also identified the adeno-associated virus (AAV) that converts damaged patches into functional liver cells.

 

Dr Willenbring said: "A liver transplant is still the best cure. This is more of a patch.

"But if it can boost liver function by just a couple percent, that can hopefully keep patients' liver function over that critical threshold, and that could translate to decades more of life."