title: Prospects for Induced Phiripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hepatocytes in Cell Therapy.
abstract: Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, first established in 2006, have the same characteristics of self-renew-ability and pluripotency as embryonic stem (ES) cells. iPS cells are inducible from patient-specific somatic cells; therefore, they hold significant advantages for overcoming immunological rejection as well as the ethical issues associated with the derivation of ES cells from embryos. Generation of patient-derived hepatocytes by iPS technology and their use in cell transplantation therapy for patients with liver disease is quite attractive. Here, we discuss recent advances and challenges in hepatocyte differentiation from iPS cells and their utility in cell therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwamuro
authors.affiliation: † Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Transplant and Surgical Oncology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Javed M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Shahid
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: † Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Transplant and Surgical Oncology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashif
keywords: Hepatic differentiation; Hepatocytes; Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells