Liver Cells Stem from Bone Marrow

Scientists have long assumed that liver cells are grown exclusively in the liver. Sounds logical enough. But a recent study has found that liver cells can also be generated by bone marrow. The study sheds new light on stem cells, the shape-shifting cells in the body that scientists believe may be able to transform into several types of organ cells.

The study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, was conducted by Dr. Neil Thiese of New York University School of Medicine, and Dr. Diane Krause of the Yale School of Medicine. The results of the study hold potential benefits for people with liver diseases such as hepatitis, which comes in several strains and is epidemic in the United States. The researchers suggest that someday doctors will be able to take bone marrow from a patient with a liver illness, treat it, and put it back into the patient so the new cells can treat the person's own liver.

Dr. Adrian Di Bisceglie, the medical director of the American Liver Foundation, says that the study may also lead to the creation of innovative therapies for those with liver damage from drugs or alcohol.