Regenerative Therapy for Liver Cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis is the end stage of chronic liver disease and causes serious complications such as ascites, encephalopathy, and portal hypertension. The only radical treatment currently available is liver transplantation, but issues such as a shortage of donors, long-term immunosuppression, and high lifelong medical costs limit the feasibility of liver transplantation. To overcome these limits to the feasibility of liver transplantation, liver regeneration therapy through cell and stem cell transplantation, bioartificial liver systems, and organ bioengineering are advancing. This chapter will describe the current status and perspective of liver regeneration therapy for liver cirrhosis.