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This [research] suggests that there is a stem cell in the adult bone marrow that is capable of becoming anything if you give it the right signal. -- Bryon Petersen, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
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Stem Cells May Allow Regrowth of Liver
New research on bone marrow stem cells suggests that it may become possible to regenerate the liver and other major organs.
Start Date: 5/25/99
A study reported in the May 14, 1999 issue of the journal Science says that stem cells from adult bone marrow may, under special conditions, convert into functioning liver tissue. Research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center may be the first step toward a means of reversing liver failure using the patient's own cells.
Bryon Petersen, lead author of the study, said the procedure had only been tested in laboratory rats so far. "What we have learned from the rat, we should be able to extrapolate to the humans," Petersen said. But he cautioned that perfecting the technique for humans may take a decade.
According to the American Liver Foundation, about 26,000 Americans die annually from liver disease.
Previously, Dr. Mark F. Pittenger of Osiris Therapeutics in Baltimore announced the discovery in bone marrow of stem cells for bone, cartilage and fat. Pittenger called Petersen's new finding "a significant step forward."
"It bodes well for our learning how to regenerate organs," said Pittenger. "Liver disease is a very serious problem."
Petersen's research began with the observation that some people with failing livers spontaneously grow new liver tissue and recover. But stem cells for new liver tissue could not be found in the liver itself. Petersen was able to show that the new liver cells began as stem cells in the bone marrow.
"This suggests that there is a stem cell in the adult bone marrow that is capable of becoming anything if you give it the right signal," said Petersen.
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