ITHS-trained Researchers Lead 3D Liver Tissue Reconstruction Project

Reconstruction of central and portal veins in the liver. Image via Wes Fabyan and Chelsea Fortin

A team of researchers at the University of Washington has created 3D reconstructions of human liver tissue that provide new understanding of the organ at a cellular level. Their project, the Liver Map pipeline, is described in a paper published in the Feb 18 issue of Science Advances. Two of the paper’s co-lead authors have received ITHS training: Wesley B. Fabyan was an ITHS/WRF summer commercialization fellow, and Chelsea L. Fortin was a TL1 scholar. The ITHS TL1 grant is acknowledged in the paper.

All three co-lead authors are in the Department of Bioengineering and the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. The senior authors of the paper include professors from the Department of Bioengineering, and the School of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology and Department of Surgery.

The samples for the 3D reconstructions came from patients who underwent liver transplants or had parts of their livers removed during cancer surgery. These samples helped the research team better understand the architecture of the liver, as well as how cirrhosis can alter those structures. The researchers hope that the Liver Map pipeline will one day help engineers develop 3D-printed artificial organs that can be used to replace diseased organs.