Recent Advances in Regenerative Medicine of the Liver and Bile Duct System by Chemically Induced Liver Progenitor Cells (CLiPs) in Nagasaki Experience

Liver transplantation is the only treatment for end-stage liver failure. Although the development of hepatocyte therapy is expected, hepatocyte transplantation by mature hepatocytes has limitations, and regenerative medicine using hepatocytes has a problem of liver injury due to the lack of a bile excretion mechanism. The Ochiya group has shown in 2017 significant findings regarding chemically induced liver progenitor cells (CLiPs). The chemical cocktail of molecules Y27632, A-83-01, and CHIR99021 can convert mature rodent hepatocytes into proliferative bipotent cells (hepatocytes and cholangiocytes) in vitro. In this chapter, we introduced the possibility of CLiPs from rodents and humans in regenerative medicine. In vitro, study CLiPs have maintained viability for long-term culture and passaging. The construction of liver tissue and biliary drainage systems from hepatic progenitor cells using YAC is expected to enable the development of liver regenerative medicine with a bile excretion mechanism.