Professor John Olynyk

Anti-inflammatory Drug Provides Hope for Liver Disease

WAIMR and University of Western Australia scientists have found that an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis could help prevent liver fibrosis and cancer. The research found that anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce the impact of common causes of liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The study, conducted at the University of Western Australia and Fremantle Hospital by Professor John Olynyk, found that an anti-inflammatory was effective in preventing scarring of the liver (fibrosis) and pre-cancerous changes that occur in fatty liver disease. The research findings are a significant step towards tackling the problems of liver fibrosis and fatal liver cancer and could lead to strategies to prevent liver fibrosis and cancer - reducing the need for liver transplantation, chemotherapy or surgery.

Leading Liver Stem Cell Research

Liver transplants could become a thing of the past sooner than expected, on the back of research by WAIMR and University of Western Australia scientists. Led by Professor George Yeoh, the researchers are studying how liver stem cells, in particular liver progenitor cells or LPC's, might be used to repair diseased livers. Scientists believe liver stem cells could eventually do away with the need for organ transplants, as they can be used to treat a wider range of liver conditions and are more robust than hepatocytes, which are currently used for treatment. It is thought that if LPC's can be "switched on", they could trigger regeneration of healthy liver tissue, allowing short-term treatment of the disease while patients await a new organ. In the long term, patients may not even need a transplant if the stem cells can be used to help the body repair the liver.

A new cell tracing technique devised by Professor Yeoh is now helping researchers assess the efficiency of converting LPC's into useful "good" cells. The breakthrough is allowing them to see if their transplantation experiments are successful - a critical step speeding up work into this area of research.

Local scientists have also attracted worldwide interest after developing an immortalised LPC cell line that allows for unlimited growth of liver stem cells that can be used for research.