Researchers have identified a new type of cell that may be able to regenerate liver tissue and treat liver failure without the need for transplants.
The scientists at King's College London in the UK used single cell RNA sequencing to identify the cell type called a hepatobiliary hybrid progenitor (HHyP), that forms during our early development in the womb.
HHyP also persist in small quantities in adults and these cells can grow into the two main cell types of the adult liver – Hepatocytes and Cholangiocytes – giving HHyPs stem cell like properties.