The liver has a remarkable capacity to regenerate after injury. Recent work has demonstrated that repair may call upon either the division of pre-existing mature cells, or the expansion of intrahepatic progenitor cells. Furthermore, progenitors may migrate into the liver from the bone marrow. Understanding and exploiting the cell biology of the liver provides the basis for innovational treatment, including the use of growth factors, transplantation of isolated cells, genetic manipulation of hepatocytes and liver cell progenitors, and the development of artificial liver support systems.
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