MDSCs in liver regeneration after resection
The liver is unique in its ability to regenerate after suffering massive tissue loss, a capacity which makes it possible to perform major hepatectomy and transplant liver segments without permanent impairment of function. However, overly extensive resections result in insufficient remnants and high mortality rates, thus excluding many patients from a lifesaving surgery and, in some cases, prohibiting liver donation from living donors.
Our lab aims to investigate the processes underlying liver regeneration in order to develop therapies that can enhance its regenerative capacity. Specifically, studies performed in our lab have shown, for the first time, that MDSCs are crucial for liver regeneration after resection. Transcriptional profiling of regenerating liver-derived MDSCs revealed a large-scale transcriptional response, involving key pathways related to angiogenesis and immune suppression.
Our current focus is on investigating interactions between MDSCs and other cells during liver regeneration in mouse models and samples from patients, and using these cells as a potential regeneration enhancement therapy.
