Scientists of the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine have been responsible for mixing a cocktail of induced stem cells made from adult tissue in an attempt to grow buds of human liver.

Demand for organ transplant outpaces the number of donors, with more than 118,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An average of 18 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant. Stem cells, which can grow into any other type of cell, have long held the promise of bridging this gap.

“The study holds out real promise for a viable alternative approach to human organ transplants,” said Matthew Smalley, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University’s European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute who wasn’t involved in the study.

Elizabeth Lopatto, a reporter from Bloomberg said “the buds did not function as human livers but nonetheless demonstrated what may be considered the first few steps to creating new organs for transplants”.

The entire study underwent rigorous testing where liver cells were mixed with other types of human cells, including those from umbilical cords.

Reference: http://www.bloomberg.com