“I hope someday we can make complex liver tissues suitable for transplantation.”
A shortage of donor organs kills about 20% of all patients with liver diseases while on a waiting list for liver transplantation. Schneeberger will investigate how patient stem cells can be used to make mini livers that can replace the human liver and ultimately help patients.
Culture of liver cells
Schneeberger used her expertise in intestinal and liver stem cells to develop a new method to grow functional liver cells on a large scale. This was an important step to obtain sufficient cells for tissue engineering. Within her VENI research she is now developing a synthetic growth gel for the stem cells, in order to enable clinical applications of those cells.
1.4 million euros for bioprinting organs
Kerstin Schneeberger and Bart Spee are working on the urgently needed alternatives for transplantable donor livers. Their research received an extra boost with the award of a Horizon 2020 grant of 6.3 million euros, of which 1.4 million euros is for Utrecht University. In the ORGANTRANS consortium, Schneeberger and Spee are partnering with experts from across Europe to develop a liver tissue printing platform, an important step towards replacing donor organs.