The Process of Regenerating Liver Cells through Hepatocyte Fusion

An investment firm based in Los Angeles, California, SP Investment Fund, LLC invests in government-subsidized apartment communities across the United States as well as many early stage life sciences and technology companies. It regularly chooses investments with an emphasis on social impact, including biotechnology ventures. One such investment is HepaTx, a company that regenerates hepatocytes (liver cells) using state of the art stem cell technology. .

HepaTx has employed the SF-Hep technology process to provide both physicians and patients with an alternative to conventional liver transplant surgery. Since its inception, the company has sought to transform the way liver conditions are treated through stem cell-based therapy, a process that is quite complex.

The process begins with lab technicians taking stem cells derived from fat tissue, usually from donors at plastic surgery centers. Once transported to a facility, the lab technicians isolate the stem cells from the tissue with collagenase (an enzyme that releases the cells), and through differential centrifugation, the stem cells are separated from the fat cells. Afterward, the stem cells are used to grow hepatocytes, or liver cells.

Using a technology developed at Stanford University, the stem cells sit in a culture that facilitates the growth of liver cells. After being placed in a suspension culture for two weeks, the stem cells are then exposed to a media that causes differentiation into liver cells. From here, the new liver cells can be used to repair damaged livers.

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