Cell therapy for liver diseases: From hepatocyte transplantation to bioartificial livers

Liver cell therapy presents a promising alternative to liver transplantation for patients with liver failure and hereditary liver diseases. However, its clinical implementation is limited largely due to the scarcity of human hepatocytes. Here, we review strategies to generate functional human hepatocytes with a mature phenotype and liver repopulation capability and highlight their potential clinical applications in hepatocyte transplantation and bioartificial liver transplantation. We summarize new delivery methods to improve hepatocyte engraftment, such as patch grafting and ectopic transplantation, and discuss potential future directions.