Functional evaluation of the hepatocytes-like role onto the maturation process of human hepatoblast-like cells in vitro

• Grant number: 16/18968-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: September 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Human and Medical Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Mayana Zatz
• Grantee: Kayque Alves Telles Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The liver is a highlight organ on the organism homeostasis maintenance. Several pathologies attack hepatic function in such way that the only alternative to the patient would be the appeal to organ transplantation. Despite all opposition, this process demonstrates low success due questions as the donated organs conditions, the limited number of available donors and the post-operational complications. Considering the biotechnological and bioengineering associated current development, like at organs descellularization and posterior functional recellularization with high number of viable cells as a way to reconstruct tissue for clinical tests, the main aims of this work are: evaluate the effect of mature hepatocytes derived conditioned media (CM) factors onto the maturation of hepatoblast-like cells and analyze the hepatocyte-like cells inductive capacity onto the differentiation state of hepatoblast-like cells. For that, hepatic lineages will be acquired by the collection of erythroblasts from the same donors and their differentiation into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the CM will be produced through the culture of HepG2 cells. The results will be evaluated by PCR and immunofluorescence techniques to compare differentiated and undifferentiated cells.