New Hope for Liver Diseases

nlm.nih.gov — FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Human liver cells have been generated from embryonic stem cells using a new model, hopefully opening the door to help scientists screen for harmful side effects of new drugs before they are used in patients. That was one of several reports on advances against liver diseases that were presented this week at Digestive Disease Week 2008 in San Diego. Other presentations involved ways to predict which patients with hepatitis C might benefit from long-term antibiotic therapy and information about how monitoring the body's viral load in hepatitis B patients may help predict liver cancer. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, reported they had efficiently generated human liver cells from embryonic stem cells without the problems that have plagued scientists in the past. The new model is unique, said Dr. David Hay, a senior fellow at the university's MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, who spoke at a press conference Tuesday. read more...

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