Artículo especialTerapia celular hepática en el tratamiento de las metabolopatías congénitas en niñosLiver cell therapy in the treatment of inborn errors of metabolism in children

Liver transplantation has been remarkably effective in the treatment of patients with end-stage liver disease. However, disparity between solid-organ supply and increased demand is the main limitation, resulting in longer waiting times and an increase in the mortality of transplant recipients. This situation creates the need to seek alternatives to orthotopic liver transplantation. Hepatocyte transplantation or liver cell transplantation has been proposed as the best method to support patients, a bridge to restore liver function or liver transplant. The procedure consists in transplanting individual cells in a recipient organ in enough quantity to survive and restore the function. The capacity of hepatic regeneration constitutes the biological basis of hepatocyte transplantation. Liver cell transplantation is carried out by means of the isolation of hepatocytes from donor liver rejected for orthotopic transplantation, to prepare a cell suspension for infusion, cryopreservation and, finally, hepatocytes are implanted into the recipient. This may be an optional therapeutic procedure in some patients with inborn errors of metabolism, fulminant hepatic failure, and acute and chronic liver failure, as a bridge to orthotopic liver transplantation. The first hepatocyte transplantation in Spain was performed in the Cell Therapy Unit of the Hospital La Fe of Valencia, creating a new research line in the transplant program.