First report of cryopreserved human hepatocytes based bioartificial liver successfully used as a bridge to liver transplantation

Cryopreserved human hepatocytes could be the best type of cells to be used in a bioartificial liver (BAL) device due to reduced biosafety and biocompatibility risks. Banking of primary human hepatocytes, obtained from livers unwanted for transplantation at harvesting, could be used as a source of human liver cells for BAL treatment. We describe herein for the first time the case of a patient affected by fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) due to acute HBV infection that was successfully bridged to emergency liver transplantation by BAL treatment using cryopreserved primary human hepatocytes. The use of cryopreserved primary human hepatocytes as the biological part of the BAL device has never been described before and might be considered as a possible alternative to xenogenic material or human tumoral cell lines due to reduced biosafety and biocompatibility risks.