SCI/TECH: Synthetic liver patented, page 1

In a further step blurring the line between biological machines and man-made machines, R.I.-based MultiCell Technologies Inc. has been granted a U.S. patent on its Sybiol synthetic bio-liver device. Apparently the device incorporates an immortalized liver cell line into an implantable device.

www.masshightech.com
A business unit of Warwick, R.I.-based MultiCell Technologies Inc. has been granted a U.S. patent on its Sybiol synthetic bio-liver device. The patent includes more than 40 claims to the device and methods for its use in the purification of a patient’s bodily fluids.

San Diego-based Xenogenics Corp 's synthetic bio-liver device was redesigned to use the MultiCell's immortalized human liver cell lines. The Sybiol bio-liver is a device designed to support patients who are waiting for liver transplants and are suffering from episodic liver disease caused by hepatitis, alcoholism or cancer, or from burn or toxic shock syndrome or other liver trauma.

Jerry Newmin, MultiCell's CEO, said the company intends to file additional patents covering further improvements to the Sybiol device and its application.

MultiCell provides non-tumorigenic functional hepatic (liver) cells and cell lines to pharmaceutical companies for induction studies and toxicity screening for drug discovery.

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Discoveries such as this are certainly good new for those suffering and waiting for liver transplants. An invention such as this signifies that we probably are not too far away from regenerating entire organs using cell lines. The problem of using immortalized cell lines (cancerous) will have to be eliminated, and certain other aspects such as contact inhibition and growing the complete organ need to be addressed, but this is a step towards being able to regenerate organs completely.

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