Hepatocyte Transplantation

The rapidly increasing frequency of organ transplantation is causing a severe shortage of donor organs. Hepatocyte transplantation has thus been studied to develop an alternative therapeutic method for patients with various liver diseases. In experimental studies using rodents, transplanted hepatocytes survive and function in ectopic sites for a long period of time. Recent advances in molecular biology and tissue engineering enable us to manipulate isolated hepatocytes before transplantation. Before clinical application of this new therapeutic method, there are many issues to be resolved such as determining an optimal location for transplantation, rapid proliferation of transplanted hepatocytes, transplantation in large animals, immunological reactions and long-term gene expression. In this book, authorities on hepatocyte transplantation from all over the world describe progress in this field and discuss the unsolved problems. For researchers and clinicians interested in the liver, this book will be the definitive resource on hepatocyte transplantation.