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作成者の再生成待ちです

by EigoBoxAI
作成:2026/05/20 12:04
レベル:初中級 (語彙目安:1000〜2000語)
タイプ:リーディング

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The liver is one of the body’s hardest-working organs. It cleans the blood, handles nutrients, and makes important proteins. When the liver fails, doctors can use artificial liver support machines for a short time, but these systems are mainly a bridge while the patient waits for recovery or a transplant. Because donor livers are limited, many researchers are now asking a bold question: what if we could grow new liver tissue inside the patient’s body instead? Recent reviews describe a shift from external support machines to “implantable artificial livers” made from living cells, soft materials, and tissue-engineering methods. ([nih.gov](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/3d-human-liver-reconstruction-reveals-changes-cirrhosis?utm_source=openai))

One exciting step came in April 2026. A team from Harvard, MIT, and Boston University reported a method called BOOST. Instead of building a large liver in the lab, they implanted a small piece of engineered liver tissue into mice and then triggered it to grow later inside the body. The researchers used genetic controls and growth signals to start this process only when needed. After a seven-day treatment, the implanted tissue showed a 500% increase in proliferation, the engineered human liver cells doubled, and the tissue connected to blood vessels. Just as important, this growth happened in healthy mice without first damaging the animals’ own livers. ([broadinstitute.org](https://www.broadinstitute.org/publications/broad1376271))

Another idea is to use the body itself as a natural “factory.” An ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial listed on ClinicalTrials.gov is testing whether donor liver cells can be placed into lymph nodes in people with end-stage liver disease. Nature reported in April 2024 that the first patient had already received this experimental treatment, and the company’s 2026 pipeline still lists the liver program as Phase 2a. The hope is that the lymph node can help the cells survive, grow, and form a small working liver. Still, scientists say major problems remain: the new tissue needs stable blood flow, good bile drainage, low immune rejection, and long-term safety. So the dream is real, but it is not ready for everyday hospital use yet. ([clinicaltrials.gov](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04496479?a=10&tab=history&utm_source=openai))

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