Abstract

Chemically Induced Liver Progenitors as a Source for Liver Regeneration and Organ Reconstruction

Takahiro Ochiya, Chief, National Cancer Center Research Institute Japan

We currently report that a cocktail of small molecules can convert rat and mouse MHs in vitro into proliferative bipotent cells, which we term chemically induced liver progenitors (CLiPs) (Katsuda et al., Cell Stem Cell, 2017). CLiPs can differentiate into both mature hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells that can form functional ductal structures. CLiPs in long-term culture did not lose their proliferative capacity or their hepatic differentiation ability, and rat CLiPs were shown to extensively repopulate chronically injured liver tissue. Our current progress on generation of human CLiPs from human mature hepatocytes and the therapeutic potency for liver diseases as well as potency of drug metabolism and towards organ reconstruction will be mentioned.