Growing blood vessels inside lab-made liver tissue to support damaged livers
Synthetic vascularization and regeneration in engineered tissues
They are developing lab-grown human liver tissue that can form its own blood vessels and be expanded on demand to help people with severe liver damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11141154 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project builds human liver tissue from liver cells, blood-vessel cells, and support cells arranged in 3-D patterns to mimic real liver structure. The team adds engineered genetic "switches" (synthetic transcription factors) to control the signaling that tells the tissue when to form blood vessels and when to grow. These tissues are tested in microfluidic lab models and implanted in living hosts to demonstrate controllable vascularization and expansion. Investigators will also work to make the system reliable in less-healthy or suboptimal host environments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with advanced liver disease or localized liver failure who might benefit from tissue replacement or regenerative grafts and who can tolerate a surgical implant.
Not a fit: People who need immediate lifesaving treatment, have reversible acute liver injury, or cannot undergo implant surgery or immunomodulation are unlikely to benefit from this experimental approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce transplantable liver tissue that connects to a patient’s circulation and can be grown or activated when needed, reducing reliance on whole-organ transplants.
How similar studies have performed: Early laboratory and animal studies of vascularized liver organoids and implantable grafts have shown promising results, but clinically ready, on-demand vascularized human liver grafts remain experimental.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University (Charles River Campus) — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Christopher S — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Chen, Christopher S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.