Hepatocyte-like cells and liver organoids: the application of iPSCs and their derivants for liver diseases

Abstract

Liver diseases have become great burden for human health because of the high morbidity and mortality. Orthotopic liver transplantation which has always been considered as the primary treatment for end-stage liver disease is limited in the clinic. The development of cell therapy, especially induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds promise for liver diseases. It is reported that the hepatocyte-like cells and liver organoids derived from iPSCs can be applied to establish disease models, test drug hepatotoxicity or directly perform specific functions as grafts. In this article, we will systematically review the two differentiation derivants of iPSCs, show the prospective application of differentiation products, in order to provide experimental and theoretic basis for clinical treatment.