Liver let grow

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have shown a pulse of GATA binding protein 6 (GATA6) expression in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can produce liver organoids without relying on external growth factors. The team believes versions of the liver bud-like structures could be used for tissue regeneration or drug screening, and is weighing whether to form a company or find a partner to take the technology forward.

Ron Weiss, the principal investigator on the study and a professor of biological engineering at MIT, told BioCentury his team stumbled across the system when it was looking for transcription factors that could drive development of endoderm-derived tissues...