Mesenchymal stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip reconstitutes human liver structure and function
5 affiliations
- 1Frazer Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
- 2Gallipoli Medical Research, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
- 3Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
- 4School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- 5School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Abstract
An in vitro model of human liver with functional integrity would advance liver research and enable personalized therapeutics. A microfluidic liver-on-a-chip can generate a functional hepatobiliary network using human liver cells and recapitulate blood circulation and bile excretion. However, many current microfluidic liver models lack a biliary component and cannot fully recapitulate the excretory function of the human liver. Here, we develop a microfluidic liver-on-a-chip incorporating functional endothelial cells, hepatocytes, and cholangiocytes derived from a single source of human mesenchymal stem cells. This stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip reconstructs a simplified liver unit, including a sinusoid, a hepatocyte compartment, and a bile duct supported by barrier integrity and fluid flow. It reproduces integrated organ-level responses to xenobiotics, including hepatic uptake and biliary excretion, and models ischemic liver injury with therapeutic cell recruitment. This technology expands personalized organ-level modeling and holds strong potential for studying tissue development and advancing targeted therapies for liver injury.
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BibTeX
@article{brooks2026mesenchymal,
title = {{Mesenchymal stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip reconstitutes human liver structure and function}},
author = {Anastasia Brooks and Haotian Yang and Deborah S. Barkauskas and Supun Ranaweera and Da Zou and Sally Goh and Qi Ruan and Kim Bridle and Darrell H.G. Crawford and Xin Liu and Michael S. Roberts and Michael R. Doran and Xiaowen Liang and Chun-Xia Zhao and Haolu Wang},
journal = {Cell Reports Methods},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101545},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101545},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mesenchymal stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip reconstitutes human liver structure and function
AU - Anastasia Brooks
AU - Haotian Yang
AU - Deborah S. Barkauskas
AU - Supun Ranaweera
AU - Da Zou
AU - Sally Goh
AU - Qi Ruan
AU - Kim Bridle
AU - Darrell H.G. Crawford
AU - Xin Liu
AU - Michael S. Roberts
AU - Michael R. Doran
AU - Xiaowen Liang
AU - Chun-Xia Zhao
AU - Haolu Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/10
JO - Cell Reports Methods
DO - 10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101545
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101545
AB - An in vitro model of human liver with functional integrity would advance liver research and enable personalized therapeutics. A microfluidic liver-on-a-chip can generate a functional hepatobiliary network using human liver cells and recapitulate blood circulation and bile excretion. However, many current microfluidic liver models lack a biliary component and cannot fully recapitulate the excretory function of the human liver. Here, we develop a microfluidic liver-on-a-chip incorporating functional endothelial cells, hepatocytes, and cholangiocytes derived from a single source of human mesenchymal stem cells. This stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip reconstructs a simplified liver unit, including a sinusoid, a hepatocyte compartment, and a bile duct supported by barrier integrity and fluid flow. It reproduces integrated organ-level responses to xenobiotics, including hepatic uptake and biliary excretion, and models ischemic liver injury with therapeutic cell recruitment. This technology expands personalized organ-level modeling and holds strong potential for studying tissue development and advancing targeted therapies for liver injury.
SN - 2667-2375
ER -