Liver regeneration is a complex process. It could have important clinical applications if scientists were able to control it. Dr. Bin Gao, head of the Laboratory of Liver Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spoke at the April 17th IDIBAPS Seminar about the relationship between liver regeneration and the immune system. The talk focused on one of his main lines of research, the role of interleukin 22 (IL-22) in liver damage. The seminar was hosted by one of his colleagues at IDIBAPS, Dr. Pau Sancho, a postdoctoral researcher of the Physiopathology and treatment of ascites and altered renal function in liver cirrhosis team.
There is some controversy about the beneficial effects of using IL-22 in promoting regeneration of the liver. Critics suggest that the proliferation of progenitor cells could increase the risk of liver cancer. Dr. Bin Gao acknowledged that the risk is real provided the treatment was chronic. He noted, however, that some diseases such as alcoholic hepatitis may benefit from a short treatment to stimulate regeneration.
