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Clinical Studies of Cell Therapy for Liver Cirrhosis

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Book cover Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality worldwide. The current curative treatment for end-stage liver cirrhosis is liver transplant but this is severely limited by organ availability. There is therefore a pressing need to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of liver cirrhosis. Autologous cell therapies for liver cirrhosis have been tested in animal models of liver injury and in clinical trials. Cells tested in clinical studies include haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and mononuclear cell preparations. Overall, early results suggest that there may be a positive benefit from some of the cell therapies. However, there are risks associated with injecting cells into the blood supply to the liver. Randomised controlled studies are required to prove efficacy of any therapy and such studies are awaited.

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Abbreviations

BM:

Bone marrow

G-CSF:

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor

HSCs:

Haematopoietic stem cells

MSCs:

Mesenchymal stem cells

MELD:

Model for end-stage liver disease

MNCs:

Mononuclear cells

PCNA:

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Centre for Inflammation Research/MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scottish Liver Transplant Unit, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    James A. Thomas

  2. Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, MRC Centre for Inflammation Research/MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Honorary Consultant Hepatologist, Scottish Liver Transplant Unit, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Stuart J. Forbes

Authors
  1. James A. Thomas
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  2. Stuart J. Forbes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart J. Forbes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royan Institute, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, PO Box 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Hossein Baharvand

  2. , Regenerative Medicine, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology an, P.O. Box: 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Nasser Aghdami

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Thomas, J.A., Forbes, S.J. (2013). Clinical Studies of Cell Therapy for Liver Cirrhosis . In: Baharvand, H., Aghdami, N. (eds) Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-098-4_11

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