A research team led by Kang Kyung-sun, chief scientific officer (CSO) of Kangstem Biotech and professor at Seoul National University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has developed a functional artificial liver with blood vessels and confirmed its therapeutic effects in an animal model of liver failure.
Professor Kang’s team, in collaboration with a research team led by Professor Kwon Sung-hoon at Seoul National University’s College of Engineering and Professor Kim Da-hyun at Sungshin Women’s University, developed a vascularized artificial liver and confirmed its therapeutic effects in a chronic liver failure animal model, the company said on Aug. 10.
The findings were published online on Aug. 6 in the international journal Science Advances.
The research team created an artificial liver with structures and functions similar to those of a human liver by combining liver cells and vascular cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with decellularized scaffolds and a vascularization technology called vascular conditioning and angiogenesis (VCA).
In artificial organ development, creating vascular networks inside tissues has been considered a major challenge. Without sufficient blood vessel formation, it is difficult to supply oxygen and nutrients throughout the tissue, limiting tissue survival and functional maintenance after transplantation.
The research team applied vascularization technology to promote blood vessel formation inside the artificial liver and improve tissue viability and function. Using spatial transcriptomics analysis, the team also identified key signals involved in vascular formation and artificial liver function and incorporated those findings into the development process.
In particular, when an artificial liver developed using both vascularization technology and IGF2 was transplanted into a chronic liver failure animal model, tissue survival and liver function showed the greatest improvement.
The researchers explained that the findings demonstrate that vascularization is not only important for improving the structural completeness of artificial livers but also serves as a key factor influencing actual therapeutic outcomes.
While liver transplantation remains the primary treatment for end-stage liver disease, many patients are unable to receive timely transplants due to a shortage of donor organs. As a result, researchers have continued developing alternative treatment technologies using artificial organs and organoids.
The team expects the study to serve as a foundation for future development of transplantable artificial organs by demonstrating the therapeutic potential of vascularized artificial livers at the preclinical stage.
“Creating an artificial liver capable of replacing a real organ requires not only liver cells but also the precise organization and functional connection of blood vessels,” Professor Kang said. “This study is meaningful because it presents both a technology for developing artificial livers containing blood vessels and key regenerative mechanisms that regulate this process.”
Kangstem Biotech continues research and development in stem cell and regenerative medicine with Professor Kang serving as its CSO.
Meanwhile, Kangstem Biotech recently confirmed that its knee osteoarthritis stem cell therapy candidate “OSCA” (OSCA, Purestem-OA Kit) demonstrated improvements in pain and joint function, as well as potential cartilage structural improvements, in a Phase 2a clinical trial.
OSCA is a candidate therapy for knee osteoarthritis that combines allogeneic umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells with acellular cartilage matrix. It is being developed as an intra-articular injection therapy designed to reduce pain and inflammation while improving joint function.
The company aims to develop OSCA as a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) that goes beyond pain relief by structurally regenerating cartilage and subchondral bone.
