Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : Researchers Outline Liver Cell Therapy

Researchers meeting in Seattle said they had developed a method to help people suffering from liver disease without requiring a transplant. Dr. Richard Towbin of the University of Pittsburgh said doctors tried the experimental procedure on a 5-year-old boy who had been battling a rare disorder. Because the boy was not a candidate for a transplant, doctors instead injected 1 billion healthy liver cells into his liver through a vein. Some of the healthy cells grafted onto the liver and provided liver function, although the procedure would have had to be repeated up to 10 times. The child later died, but the test suggested “a very fruitful avenue of research,” Towbin said.