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Bioengineering

Bile ducts regenerated

Nature volume 547, pages 171–172 (2017)Cite this article

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The development of a protocol for isolating and expanding the cell population that lines bile ducts has enabled the in vitro generation of bioengineered ducts. These can replace native bile ducts when transplanted into mice.

Bile, which facilitates the absorption of lipids in the small intestine, is highly toxic to cells of the liver, where it is produced. This fluid must therefore be drained from the organ through the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts, which lie respectively within and outside the liver. Damage to bile ducts can prevent proper drainage, causing often-fatal liver diseases1. One possible treatment is implantation of artificial, bioengineered bile ducts. Writing in Nature Medicine, Sampaziotis et al.2 report a protocol for generating such ducts, which they used to replace common bile ducts in mice.

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Figure 1: A protocol for producing extrahepatic bile ducts.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China

    Ludi Zhang & Lijian Hui

Authors
  1. Ludi Zhang
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  2. Lijian Hui
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Correspondence to Lijian Hui.

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Zhang, L., Hui, L. Bile ducts regenerated. Nature 547, 171–172 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/547171a

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