Stem cell therapies for liver failure and cirrhosis

Liver failure and cirrhosis occur as a result of a variety of chronic hepatic injuries. They display sequential and overlapping severe pathogenic processes that include severe inflammation, hepatocyte necrosis, and fibrosis/cirrhosis, and carry a high mortality rate [1]. There is a prevailing contradiction between the urgent need for liver transplants and a severe shortage of donor livers, which highlights the need to develop new therapeutic strategies for these conditions. Recent studies have shown that stem cell-based therapies may reduce liver inflammation, and subsequently improve scarring and replenish hepatocytes, which could be a promising strategy for patients with liver failure and cirrhosis [2].