HepaLife moves closer to development of artificial liver device

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., May 30 - HepaLife Technologies, Inc. said its patented liver stem cells have demonstrated the ability to survive and function without feeder cell support, a significant cell biology objective in the company's development of an artificial liver device for human patients suffering from acute liver failure.

"Key to the development [of] a fully functional, therapeutically effective artificial liver device is not the mechanical hardware itself, but rather, the biological component that goes inside and mimics the behavior of the human liver," president and chief executive office Harmel S. Rayat said in a company news release.

"This is where HepaLife's PICM-19 liver cells are critical - they have repeatedly shown the ability to survive and grow in multiple environments, emulating the functions of the human liver."

Unlike other cells, HepaLife's liver cells remain fully functional and do not become tumorigenic or cancerous, despite years in continuous culture, an important factor in the development of a completely functional artificial liver device.

HepaLife is a development-stage biotechnology company located in Vancouver, B.C.

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