Future of Regenerative Hepatology
摘要
Regenerative hepatology is an emerging interdisciplinary field aiming to restore or replace liver function in patients with acute or chronic liver diseases. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of current and future strategies in regenerative liver medicine. We discuss advances in cell-based therapies, including hepatocyte transplantation, mesenchymal stem cell therapy, and next-generation approaches utilizing pluripotent stem cells, fetal liver progenitors, liver organoids, and non-parenchymal cell types. Additionally, we highlight the potential of small molecules and microbiota-derived factors to promote endogenous liver regeneration, offering novel therapeutic avenues for diverse liver pathologies. Genome editing and gene therapy approaches, both viral and nonviral, are explored as tools to correct genetic liver disorders. Finally, we examine recent liver bioengineering technologies—ranging from bioartificial liver devices to whole-organ and bile duct bioengineering—that may pave the way for the development of transplantable liver grafts and functional biliary structures.