Use of a Novel Cell Printer to Create, Analyse and Optimise 3D Liver Tissues

Human liver hepatocytes are extremely valuable cells both for drug development laboratories and for patients whose own livers have become damaged either through viral infections, poor diet and/or long term excessive alcohol consumption. There is already a shortage of donor livers for transplantation and this is set to worsen in the future as liver failure rates continue to increase. It is known that stem cells can be multiplied greatly in culture and changed into hepatocytes to give an endless supply. However, the liver also has other cell types in it which contribute to efficient liver function. In this project we will identify these cell types and their ideal ratios to liver hepatocytes. This should form the basis for further development work towards recreating functional liver tissue from human stem cells.