Hepatocyte transplantation: current and future developments

Purpose of review Hepatocyte transplantation is gaining increasing interest among clinicians, because it has now been shown to be feasible and well tolerated, with demonstrated clinical benefit. It is less invasive than orthotopic liver transplantation, preserving the native liver, avoiding early technical complications and the consequences of long-term I progressive graft damage. The technique ideally suits patients with inborn errors of metabolism, either as a full treatment option, or in more severe situations as a bridge to transplantation. Hepatocyte transplantation in these patients can bring metabolic control for variable periods of time, up to 18 months after infusions. The current review will focus on the recent developments of new strategies and discuss their potential benefits for the improvement of liver regenerative medicine using cell therapy. Recent findings No new cases of hepatocyte transplantation have been reported since 2006, whereas appreciable advances have been published in the fields of liver stem cells, hepatocyte cryopreservation and the control of rejection. Summary These developed strategies may help to improve the efficacy of the technique by understanding the outcome of transplanted cells, and on this basis may limit their loss after transplantation and evaluate the benefit of the use of stem cell sources.