Stem Cell Therapy Delivery in Liver Disease

Among visceral organs, the liver is unique in its resilience to severe injury. Even after removal of up to 75% of total liver mass, an otherwise healthy liver can regrow to a fully functioning state within a few weeks. However, this capacity is not without its limits, and the regenerative potential can become exhausted in cases of chronic injury leading to fibrotic scarring and eventually cirrhosis. Currently, transplant is the only curative therapy for cirrhosis, but a severe organ shortage limits access to this treatment. Thus, there is an urgent unmet need for therapeutics that can prevent, slow, or reverse fibrotic scarring in the liver. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising modality to meet this unmet need by augmenting the liver’s natural repair processes. However, realizing this potential will require addressing three key challenges delineated in this chapter: (1) identifying the most effective stem cell type(s), (2) determining the impact of liver disease etiology, and (3) optimization of route and timing of delivery to ensure maximal therapeutic benefit.