Small hepatocytes (SH) for an alternative liver therapy

Due to the shortage of donor organs, advanced liver cirrhosis is associated with a high mortality rate. A cell based therapy may present as a true alternative to stabilise the patient in the middle and long term, thereby decreasing the mortality rate on the transplant waiting list. However, limitation of cell-based therapies consists of the availability of functional human hepatocytes whereas hepatic progenitor cells such as small hepatocytes (SH) are a possible cell source, because they have proliferation capacity [1].