Liver failure is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the liver can no longer carry out vital functions like protein production and detoxification. This leads to a dangerous build-up of substances such as ammonia and bilirubin, which can cause severe complications in other organs. Bioartificial liver support devices (BALs), which contain liver cells in a bioreactor, are designed to temporarily support patients while they wait for a transplant or recover by synthesising proteins and detoxifying the patient’s plasma replacing some of the critical functions of a failed liver. However, no device has provided a survival benefit for patients to date. Neda Heidari research investigates why these devices often fail and how to improve their effectiveness.
The images taken by a fluorescent microscope show liver cells (hepatocytes) grown in 3D culture conditions that mimic the liver tissue environment. Live cells were stained green in these images, allowing us to monitor cell viability over time. Through this work, I discovered a previously unknown process: liver toxins can trigger a type of cellular ageing—called Senescence Induced by Liver Toxins (SILT)—which severely impairs the cells’ ability to produce proteins and detoxify blood. We are now testing anti-ageing compounds like resveratrol to prevent this process and restore cell function, with the goal of enhancing the performance of bioartificial liver support systems for patients in critical need.
