Title: Bioengineered liver as an intracorporeal assist device

Biography:

Zurab Kakabadze is a Head of Department of Clinical Anatomy at the Tbilisi State Medical University. He is also a President of International Society of Regenerative Medicine & Biomedical Innovation. His research has received extramural funding with publication of results in prestigious international journals.

Abstract

We report a new method of creating bioengineered liver as an intracorporeal assist device from the combination of decellularized cow placentome and liver tissue microfragments. For the decellularization of cow placentome sodium dodecyl sulfate and  1% triton X-100 were used. After decellularization, three-dimensional scaffolds were filled with autologous liver microfragments. As the study objects, 30 rats were used. Prior to transplantation of liver assist device, all animals were subjected to 75% hepatectomy. The inclusion of liver assist device in porto-carval blood flow using microsurgical techniqes was performed. The maximum observation period for animals were three months. The transplantation of liver assit device containing autologous tissue rescured rats in extended partial hepatectomy-induced acute liver failure. This rescue concerned amelioration of injury and induction of regeneration in native liver. Transplanted liver micro fragments in the 3-D scaffold of cow placenotme formed the homogeneous tissue, which visually does not differ from the normal liver parechyma. Cellular composition of the transplanted liver fragments did not have signs of disorganization, steatosis or bile accumulation. A 3-D scaffold of the cow placentome containing vascular pedicle and rich vascular network has many characteristics that are desirable for a biomaterial and it can be successfully used as a matrix for creation of bio-engineered liver or assist device.